I have spent all offseason pounding the table for the Royals to sign Ha-Seong Kim and today I put together a profile for what he could mean for the team and its future. The Royals said in their press conference that their top priority is to add a leadoff hitter and get some consistency in the middle of the order. The Royals had a real struggle at the leadoff spot getting someone on base in front of Bobby Witt Jr and Kim would be the ideal fit. Kim brings a high OBP which the Royals had been hunting for almost all year in 2024 and has a high-quality infield glove. In my opinion, there isn’t a better player on the market that would fit in Kansas City.

How does Kim help at the plate?

Day one Ha-Seong Kim plugs in as the leadoff hitter for the Royals and gives them a consistent player to get on base in front of Bobby Witt Jr. In 2024 BWJ had a batting average of .332 which was first in the major leagues by almost .010. The biggest problem was he was consistently hitting with the bases empty. The Royals rotated between a few guys including Maikel Garcia, Michael Massey, Adam Frazier, and Tommy Pham in the leadoff spot in 2024. None of them finished the season with an OBP above .295 which is not even close to good enough in front of one of the best hitters in baseball.

Kim has had a career OBP of .326 and has had an OBP above .325 for the past 3 years. These are incredibly impressive numbers for a young hitter like Kim and suggest that he’s more than qualified to be the leadoff hitter for the Royals. Even better, he has speed on the bases, with over 60 stolen bases over the last 2 years, and ranks in the top 25% in sprint speed. This will allow BWJ to maximize what he is capable of, allowing him to get RBIs as well as XBHs because of the speed in front of him not holding him up on the basepath. With Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez behind them, having the speed to get around the bases and help them drive in runs will be incredibly important.

Kim consistently gives good ABs, with a very low strikeout rate, and is 96th percentile in walk rate. He is 98th percentile in Chase% and is 92nd in Whiff%. Kim is a very traditional leadoff hitter who won’t hit the ball super hard or hit many HRs, but he will see a lot of pitches and get on base at an elite rate. His batting average has dipped some but is not the most concerning to me as he was hitting more in the middle of the order for the Padres. We know he can work the count, and I think he would have a lot more success trying to get on base rather than drive in runs.

Kim has some history batting in the leadoff spot and really had his most success at the plate from that spot. In 2023 he had 287 ABs hitting in the leadoff spot where he slashed .268/.364/.418 and was incredibly successful. He was kind of pushed out of that spot in 2024 with the emergence of Jurickson Profar and the addition of Luis Arraez. But realistically I think the Royals are a great fit and would give him the best chance for success. His OBP and ability to move on the bases will fit in great in front of Bobby Witt Jr and the other hitters the Royals have in the middle of the order. His experience at leadoff and general skill set at the plate would be a perfect fit in Kansas City in 2025.

How does Kim fit in the field?

The Royals will value defense in any player that they pick up and I think that it is unlikely that they are willing to sacrifice defensive value too much. Any bat they add this offseason will need to be able to play the field as well. The Royals have a lot of players who will need time in the DH role and Quatraro likes to mix and match his lineup a lot which is unlikely to change in 2024. Royals pitchers like to throw strikes and force soft contact so the defense of their fielders is that much more important and certainly will play a major role in the players they consider this offseason.

Kim is potentially better with the glove than he is with the bat which is a huge plus to his value. Kim won the gold glove as a utility player in 2023 playing 2B, SS, and 3B at a very high level, and has proven to have consistent value on defense. I think if the Royals were to add Kim, he would be an everyday player switching between 2nd and 3rd base as needed. This would allow Massey to get days off defensively and let Garcia move down in the lineup and to other defensive spots. Both of those guys were high-quality defensive assets in 2024, and Kim does not sacrifice any of that value when he is in the lineup which is very important.

This aspect of the game is something I cannot emphasize enough. Massey struggled with injuries all throughout his career but has shown so much value with his bat. Garcia had struggled at times in 2024 and clearly needed a reset but was difficult to take out of the lineup. Kim allows Massey to take days at DH, can give Garcia days off if he gets cold, and move around later in games if a pinch hitter comes on, all while not sacrificing any defensive value. Also, if Bobby Witt gets banged up, Kim can allow him to take days off or DH while still having a high-quality fielder at short.

Concerns around Ha-Seong Kim for the Royals

The main concern for Kim is the most recent season that he had, where he had a season-ending injury and some down numbers compared to the past. Kim suffered a torn labrum in mid-August and was unable to return to play and had season-ending surgery to get a repair in September. There is some concern that Kim would struggle in a full-time role as his numbers were down prior to the injury and there are questions about how his recovery will go. Kim is also 28 years old with only 3 full seasons of play and his dip last season leaves 2023 as the only great reference of what you hope to get out of him at the plate in the leadoff spot.

In 2024 Kim’s batting average dropped from .260 to .233 which clearly is not ideal for a guy who doesn’t hit for much power. But he was able to keep his walk rate up and his OBP at .330 which is very high quality for a leadoff option. While his youth and lack of significant experience may be concerning as well as his short dip in production in 2024, I have confidence that Kim is more than capable of producing like he did in 2023 again.

Players often recover from Labrum tears well and I suspect Kim will do so as well. His production drop is not ideal, but I attribute that to the Padres moving him around in the lineup and not hitting in the leadoff spot. His fielding always looked great, and we know he is a high-quality athlete. I suspect that he will benefit from moving back to the leadoff spot and having a consistent role with the team.

Contract

I have seen several different listings about what the price could be for Ha-Seong Kim on the open market, and I would like to provide a few options for potential contact options for him.

1 year 10 million

I think this contract is likely if the market for Kim isn’t there. There is potential that teams are concerned with his recent production and injury and the market for Kim is not what he hopes it will be. In this scenario, he takes a one-year deal to prove himself as a quality hitter and then hits the market next year to cash in. This gives the Royals their leadoff hitter for 2025 and allows them to develop someone like Javier Vaz to fill his role in 2026.

4 years 50 million

In this scenario, Kim cashes in and the Royals are sold on his ability to produce and even believe he can improve in the future. I think that this type of contract is the most likely scenario for Kim as the value for a player like him is high and if it’s possible you could buy low on him, it would make a lot of sense to do so. Kim will always have value athletically and defensively at a bare minimum and so there will always be a role for him regardless of if he exceeds expectations at the plate.

3 years 45 million (20 million mutual option in year 3)

This is a unique option that would only really exist if there were a small number of teams targeting Kim and there was some concern about his injuries. This contract would give a little bit of flexibility for both Kim and the Royals allowing Kim to get his payday and giving a little insurance if his production dips. These are hard contracts but would only work if interest in Kim was slim and he was really looking to cash in this offseason. This gives him a chance to get some experience and prove himself before either taking his option, re-signing, or hitting the market. This contract is very unlikely as it’s well above his projected value but is a possibility if the Royals want to outbid other small market teams.

Summary

Kim is my favorite free agent on the market and if I was in the Royals front office, I would be pounding the table for Kim. To me, he checks all the boxes, and his projected contract is well within the price range that the Royals are willing to spend. He is a leadoff hitter who can play every day when he is healthy and gives the Royals some insurance if other infielders get hurt or slump in production. His defense is elite, and he does everything with his bat that the Royals are looking for his speed on the bases is an added plus in front of Bobby Witt Jr. Kim would be both an offensive and defensive boost for the Royals and should be their top priority in free agency this year.

Image credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images