TB is currently "Kim Ha-sung's Illness", and Nieder President "A Fun Player to Watch"…"ML 342HR" team legend also mentioned
TB is currently "Kim Ha-sung's Illness", and Nieder President "A Fun Player to Watch"…"ML 342HR" team legend also mentioned
Blog Article
"Kim Ha-sung is not only talented, but his play is also fun to watch."
Finally, the contract between Kim Ha-sung and the Tampa Bay Rays was officially announced. Tampa Bay's Eric Nieder, president of baseball operations, could not hide his joy when he announced the recruitment of Kim Ha-sung. He also hinted that Tampa Bay's legend mentioned Kim Ha-sung.스포츠토토
Tampa Bay officially announced on the 4th (Korea time) that it signed a two-year, $29 million contract (about 42.3 billion won) with Kim Ha-sung. The 2025 season is guaranteed 13 million dollars (about 18.9 billion won) and bonuses of up to 2 million dollars (about 2.9 billion won) will be given depending on the number of at-bats. You can exercise the opt-out after the 2025 season, and if you don't exercise it, you will receive 16 million dollars (about 23.3 billion won) for the 2026 season.
After the contract was announced, Kim Ha-sung held a press conference for joining the team through a video interview program. Kim Ha-sung said, "I'm looking forward to joining a good team called Tampa Bay. There is an injury issue, but I'm in such a good condition right now. I'm grateful to the team officials for believing in that and giving me a good contract. I'll do my best to prepare hard and win the World Series."
Nieder also attended the event. "Kim Ha-sung is not only talented, but also fun to watch. You can tell from his huge popularity in San Diego," Nieder said.
At the end of last season, Kim Ha-sung was on the operating table due to a shoulder injury. Initially, a large contract worth $100 million was expected, but the injury had a big impact. He cannot play in the opening game right away.
Despite the risk of injury, Nieder remained calm. "Kim Ha-sung will not be able to play in the opening game right away, but he won't have to wait too long," Nieder said. "Kim Ha-sung will join us at a time when we prove that we are a team that can start well and compete for the postseason."
President Nieder is said to have been interested in Kim Ha-sung since the beginning of the offseason. At that time, there was not much information such as Kim Ha-sung's rehabilitation status or stadium problems, but it is said that as time passed, his mind leaned toward the contract. Nieder explained that he signed a "very favorable contract" for both sides.
Team Legend Evan Longoria also reacted to the recruitment of Kim Ha-sung. According to President Nieder, former and current Tampa Bay players contacted him when the news of Kim Ha-sung's recruitment was reported. Longoria also reportedly contacted Kim Ha-sung's passionate style of play and his popularity among teammates.
Longoria is the best player in Tampa Bay's history. As the third player in the first round of the 2006 rookie draft, Longoria, who wore the Tampa Bay uniform, made his big league debut in 2008. That year, he became the Rookie of the Year in the American League with 122 hits, 27 homers, 85 RBIs and a batting average of 0.272 OPS of 0.874. Since then, Longoria has been loved by fans for outstanding defense and cheerful slugging every season. After playing for 10 years in Tampa Bay, Longoria had 1,471 hits and 261 homers. Afterwards, he retired in 2023 after playing for the San Francisco Giants and the Arizona Diamondbacks. His overall record is 1,30 hits, 342 homers and 1159 RBIs in 1986 games with a batting average of 0.264 OPS of 0.804.
"As anyone who has watched him in San Diego over the past few years would know, Kim Ha-sung is an outstanding player who contributes to his team's victory in various ways. That's what Tampa Bay considers important," Nieder said.