The New York Yankees have recovered quite well after losing the Juan Soto sweepstakes to their crosstown rival New York Mets.
The Yankees have added players such as Max Fried, Devin Williams, and Cody Bellinger, among others. But they might not be done yet. They still need to replace Gleyber Torres in the infield after Torres signed a free-agent contract with the Detroit Tigers.
Rucker Haringey of FanSided recently predicted the Yankees would sign free-agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim away from the San Diego Padres. Kim is recovering from serious shoulder surgery, but Spotrac still projects him to sign a $49 million deal.
"Kim isn't a power hitter that will make fans forget about Soto but he can be an ideal leadoff hitter to set the table for Aaron Judge and company via the leadoff spot in the order," Haringey wrote. "He also possesses the speed required to threaten opponents on the basepaths. Defensively, Kim could slot in at either second or third base for the Yankees depending on what they view to be Jazz Chisholm's ideal position.
"He would be a major upgrade over Gleyber Torres at second if Boone decided to deploy him there. Kim's injury status should depress his market which could see him landing inside the Yankees' price range. This is the kind of financial move New York should make to flex some fiscal muscle."
Aaron Boone's squad struggled with infield defense last season and Kim is one of the best infielder defenders in the league. He has the versatility to slide all over the infield to take stress off other players as well.
If Kim recovers from his shoulder injury well, he would be a steal of a free agent for the Yankees.
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