With Yankees looking to possibly add an infielder, they could explore the free-agent market for a proper veteran upgrade. Ha-Seong Kim opted out of the final season of a four-year, $28 million contract he signed with the San Diego Padres, and the 29-year-old has proven to be a solid bat with excellent baserunning value and an elite glove. He is a top-notch defender at shortstop, third base and second base with the ability to provide patient at-bats to round out the bottom of a lineup.

A strong all-around player who could sign a lower AAV deal, he could be a perfect compliment to the Yankees’ offseason even if they land star player Juan Soto.

Ha-Seong Kim is the perfect remedy for the Yankees’ Infield

The Yankees would love to add the defense and baserunning that Ha-Seong Kim could bring to the table as one of the best at accumulating value on that side of the ball. Over 4,147 innings on the field, the Korean-born infielder has 48 defensive runs saved with +22 outs above average over SS, 2B and 3B in his Major League career. Combine that with 60 total steals over the past two seasons, and you have the kind of player who improves some of the team’s weaknesses.

At second base, the team didn’t get stellar defensive production from Gleyber Torres, who was also one of the worst baserunners in the league last year. He was dead last among primary 2B in BsR (-4.6) while having the second-worst DRS (-11), and Ha-Seong Kim provides elite defense and an aggressive base-stealer with speed. That’s a departure from what the Yankees failed to do last season, as they were last in BsR and Baserunning Run Value as a team.

What has made Ha-Seong Kim extremely valuable is that, in addition to his excellent defense and baserunning, he has been an above-average hitter in each of the last three seasons with solid underlying stats. With decent power and elite plate control, he has posted a 106 wRC+ and 10.5 fWAR in 423 games over the past three seasons. If you compare his bat to what the Yankees got with Gleyber Torres last season (104 wRC+), the bat is pretty similar.

READ MORE: Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner hints at “upgrades” this offseason

Steamer projections would agree; Gleyber Torres is a better hitter but the gap in production with the bat would not be huge. Factoring in the base running value, it’s entirely possible that Ha-Seong Kim ends up with more offensive runs than Gleyber Torres in 2025. Kim had more offensive runs this season despite playing only 121 games, and over the last three seasons, Torres only after Torres. 0.4 runs despite playing in 30 fewer games during that stretch.

A potential leadoff candidate if he plays to his projections, the patient infielder has the kind of approach that could serve both well against Soto and Judge as he could force pitchers to throw strikes. He is one of just 13 qualified hitters over the last two seasons with a walk rate of at least 12%. The Yankees can tick off the leadoff spot, second base, and also add tons of baserunning value with him on the roster, potentially giving them their best base-stealing team in a decade.

Jazz Chisholm (33), Anthony Volpe (28), Ha-Seong Kim (24) and Jasson Dominguez (20) are expected to combine for 105 stolen baseswhich would be the highest total by a Yankees team since they swiped 112 bases in 2014. Having even more speed depth while adding a bat that could replace 2024 Gleyber Torres and improve on defense is the definition of a win for the Yankees if they pull it off.

Hal Steinbrenner reportedly assured Juan Soto in his meeting that upgrades would be made to the roster; it would be easy to see how Ha-Seong Kim, his teammate for two seasons, would help them keep that promise.

The Yankees could have stiff competition, especially since Kim could be a cheaper shortstop option for many contenders. Perhaps the Yankees can move someone to try to keep their total payroll down, such as attaching prospects to move Marcus Stroman’s $18M payroll tax or moving Nestor Cortes and his projected arbitration money (~$7M) to get a bat in return.

That might limit what they can do at first base, but they could really float someone like Cortes as a piece that could get a Major League at-bat. Also, Spencer Jones could be made more expendable if the team can re-sign Juan Soto, who would lock down an outfield for at least the next decade. The Yankees have other ways to acquire a first baseman, and there’s always hope that data darling Ben Rice lives up to his 114 wRC+ and 17 HR projections for the 2025 season.

Ha-Seong Kim rounds out the Yankees’ infield in a way that will allow them to address the base runners and ensure their defense is even better in 2025.