Defensive upgrades have been somewhat of a focus for the New York Yankees this winter. They could use another elite defender or two to round out their offseason, but the defense, on paper, should be better in 2025.
There aren’t many elite defensive players on the free agency market this winter. The Yankees could look to trade for one or could target He-Seong Kim, perhaps the best defender available in free agency.
Kim would be the ideal Gleyber Torres replacement due to his defensive abilities, winning a Gold Glove Award in 2023. He posted an OAA in the 85th percentile last season, according to Baseball Savant. Torres ranked in the 14th percentile in OAA last year.
Still available, Kim’s market might not be as strong as some expected. That could be due to having shoulder surgery at the end of the season, but ultimately, that could be a positive for the Yankees. Had he stayed healthy, he could’ve been looking at a bigger payday.
Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report predicted that he’d sign a one-year, $14 million deal with the Seattle Mariners. However, the money here is the important part for the Yankees.
“Kim is recovering from shoulder surgery in October, which means he may not be ready for Opening Day. But both the injury and the fact that he’s not a hitter who relies on driving the ball out of the ballpark might make him more willing to accept an offer to play his home games at T-Mobile Park than some of the other remaining position players on the market,” Kelly wrote on January 6.
Despite Kelly predicting Kim would sign with the Mariners, he could be intrigued by playing at Yankee Stadium, just like Kelly suggested him being interested in playing at T-Mobile Park.
Yankees Considered Landing Spot for Kim
The fit for Kim on the New York Yankees is obvious. They want to improve their defense and add a decent bat for a relatively cheap price. Kim checks all of those boxes and more.
His numbers won’t impress most, slashing .233/.330/.370 with a 96 OPS+ in 2024. The Yankees could get a steal if he returned to his 107 OPS+ and 5.8 WAR play from 2023.
He’d also give them flexibility, which is why Kelly named them a fit in a prior article exploring his top 10 landing spots.
“Jazz Chisholm Jr. is a natural second baseman and could return to that spot with Torres likely to depart in free agency. But Cashman has kind of left the door open to put him at any of three spots in 2025…
“If Chisholm is at second base, Kim could play third base for the Yankees. If Chisholm remains at third base—a spot he posted six outs above average at after being acquired by the Yankees—Kim could play second base. And if the Yankees use Chisholm in the outfield, likely center field, either infield spot would be open for Kim,” Kelly wrote on December 17.
Yankees Insider Links Team to Kim
It’s uncertain if the New York Yankees plan to sign a second baseman this winter. There are internal options that could play the position and be much cheaper.
However, the idea of landing him should at least be enticing to the Yankees. Chris Kirschner of The Athletic believes it could be a perfect fit, mainly due to the defense the Yankees would have up the middle.
“If the Yankees were to sign a free agent at second base, Ha-Seong Kim could make sense. Part of the reason why the Yankees wanted to replace Torres at second was because of his poor defense and baserunning.
“Pairing Kim and Volpe up the middle would give the Yankees an elite double-play combination,” Kirschner wrote on December 30.
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