Sandy Alderson said the Mets are considering posting a bid for Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang according to Adam Rubin. However, Alderson adds that it’s still unresolved whether they will or not.
Sounds like progress – albeit small – on the International Posting front for Sandy and Company. To my knowledge they have never posted a bid on free agent like this before.
December 7
Korean shortstop star Jung-Ho Kang is expected to be posted next week by his team according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. Once posted, teams will have the opportunity to bid on exclusive negotiating rights with Kang. This is extremely intriguing and timely as it comes during the heart of the MLB offseason.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports is now reporting that the power-hitting shortstop is drawing interest from the New York Mets. He adds that the Mets have been struggling to find a shortstop and that it’s no surprise they would consider Kang as a viable option.
“The Mets had interest in trading for Starlin Castro and Jimmy Rollins, among others, but Castro is unavailable and word is Rollins will only waive his no-trade clause for a few teams, and the Mets to this point aren’t one of those teams. The White Sox’s Alexei Ramirez is out there, but he would probably require the Mets to give up one of their best young pitchers, something they are reluctant to do.”
Kang put up an impressive stat line with the Nexen Heroes last season, producing at a .354/.457/.733 clip with 39 home runs and 115 RBI in 116 games. Although the 27-year old has played shortstop in Korea, MLB scouts have suggested that he might project better as a third or first basemen.
Some scouts are skeptical if his power can translate to the majors. However, Keith Law of ESPN suggested that his power can come to fruition in the majors, most likely at the expense of his batting average.
In a NY Post article from Joel Sherman, Kang’s agent Alan Nero was quoted saying, “If he were Cuban, he’d get $100 million.”
