Infielder Ha-Seong Kim declined his joint option with the San Diego Padres. Dennis Lin of the Athletic He was the first to report on Saturday.

Considering he’s only worth $8 million for the 2025 season, the Padres would certainly pick up their portion of the option had Kim picked. Instead, Kim will collect a $2 million buyout and become a free agent.

Kim outbid the Korean Baseball Organization by signing a four-year, $28 million contract with the Padres ahead of the 2021 season.

Kim played in 117 games his rookie year, batting .202 with a .622 OPS, but managed to post a 2.1 WAR thanks to his dynamic defensive efforts at shortstop, second base and third base. The Padres made Kim a full-time shortstop in 2022, but moved him back to a reliever role in 2023 after signing Xander Bogaerts.

This earned Kim the Golden Glove award that season, becoming the first Korean player to earn the honor. Kim also took a step forward offensively, batting .260 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 38 stolen bases, a .749 OPS and 5.8 WAR, finishing 14th in the NL MVP race.

Kim took over again at shortstop in 2024 as Bogaerts continued to age, but his season ended in August due to a right shoulder injury. He had surgery on October 10 and is expected to return in mid-April.

The 29-year-old finished last season batting .233 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, a .700 OPS and 2.6 WAR in 121 games.

Kim changed agents in October and signed with Boras Corporation before entering free agency. He’s sure to be one of the top center fielders on the open market, along with Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames and former KBO teammate Hye-Seong Kim. Should he be assigned?.

Accordingly spotracHa-Seong Kim’s market value currently stands at $49.1 million over four years. The Padres are currently paying Bogaerts, Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. a combined $63 million in 2025, so it remains to be seen how high they will be willing to bid for Kim’s services in the future.

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