NEWSLETTER
That’s a headline, eh?
So, there’s an ace lefty out of the KBO named Kwang-Hyun Kim, and it’s been expected for a while now that his team in South Korea would post him to MLB, making him available for MLB teams to sign. Among other teams, the Chicago Cubs have reportedly already shown interest in Kim this offseason, and he’s a guy they scouted over the summer.
He was officially posted today, and the 30 day clock on him reaching an agreement with an MLB team starts tomorrow morning at 8am ET, per Yonhap News. So we might not see a deal – if it happens at all – until after Christmas, or even after the New Year. That timing actually probably works to the Cubs’ benefit, since they may be interested in slow-playing the free agent pitching market (starting or relieving).
But if this all sounds vaguely familiar to you already, that’s because Kim was believed to have already been officially posted a week ago. Weird, right? Well, it turns out that his initial posting needed some follow-up (Yonhap): “The KBO had first asked the MLB to post the left-hander on Nov. 28 but had to file additional medical documents Tuesday.”
Hmm. No details beyond that.
I can only speculate, but I wonder if the documentation had to do with Kim’s 2017 Tommy John surgery. The 31-year-old lefty only just had his first full season back from the surgery this past year, and he dominated. I suppose I can understand MLB teams wanting as much information as possible before entering into any negotiations.
Still, it’s another layer that makes you a little nervous about any kind of aggressive pursuit of Kim as a definite rotation candidate. Yes, his results this past year compare favorably with those of Hyun-Jin Ryu before he came over from the KBO, but that was in a different offensive environment, and Ryu was a much more strikeout-inclined starter than Kim.
Kim will have 30 days to negotiate with any MLB he wants, and, if they come to terms, the posting fee will basically just be a percentage of the contract that the signing team will then pay (as an additional fee) to his former KBO team.
For more on the Cubs’ interest in Kim and his projected contract/role, see our previous write-up here. You can bet the Cubs will be considering him together with other higher-upside, but lots-of-questions starters like Julio Teheran, Alex Wood, and Collin McHugh. Try to trade for a younger impact starter, and if it doesn’t happen, then turn to this group. I accept that approach.
