As expected, shortstop Ha-Seong Kim has declined his half of an $8 million mutual option and is a free agent. Meantime, reliever Wandy Peralta has opted into the 2025 season with the Padres.
Kim’s departure as a free agent had been a forgone conclusion until tearing his labrum in August, impeding his path toward a long-term contract.
Kim, however, signed super agent Scott Boras late in the season and Boras routinely advises his clients to opt out of contracts in search of bigger paydays. The Padres now owe Kim a $2 million buyout, per the terms of his original, four-year, $28 million deal.
The 29-year-old Kim, a Gold Glover last year, finished his walk year with 11 homers, 22 steals and a .233/.330/.370 batting line. He was coming off a 2023 season in which he paired 17 homers and 38 steals with a .260/.351/.398, so his production was down before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.
Kim underwent surgery on Oct. 11. The Padres are expected to monitor his rehab process throughout free agency, as Kim likely returning from injury well into the start of the 2025 season could allow the two sides to align on a short-term deal if the Korean shortstop does not land the contract he’s seeking.
“Well keep gathering information on the injury standpoint, where that leaves him and us,” Padres General Manager A.J. Preller said after the season “Ha-Seongs a very talented player. I think we felt that at the end of the year, not having him here. It definitely was a blow. And hes a guy who plays the game with a ton of energy. Hes an intelligent baseball player. He defends the field really well. He can play all different spots, take a walk, he can hit a home run. He can steal a base. That’s the way we evaluate him, and thats a really talented and valuable player.
“From our standpoint, wed love to bring him back. I think we just got to kind of get into it … see where that leaves us.”
As for Peralta, his ERA jumping from 2.83 to 3.99 in his first year in San Diego all but ensured he’d opt in for a $4.25 million salary in 2025, a raise on this year’s $3.25 million payday.
The 33-year-old Peralta has similar player options after each of the next two seasons.