Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Mets are one of five teams showing early interestin in Korean left-handed starter Kwang-hyun Kim. Royals, Dodgers, Cubs, and Diamondbacks are the other four teams according to Rosenthal.
Kim was posted on Friday by SK Wvyerns and now had 30 days to negotiate a deal. Under the new posting rules, Kim can negotiate with all 30 teams.
Original Report – Nov. 22, 8:56 am
According to Naver Sports (confirmed by Yonhap News), the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization will post left-hander Kwang-hyun Kim.
The left-hander had made it known to the Wyverns that he wanted to be posted. This is the second time Kim will be posted, the first time was back in 2014 when he was unable to work out a deal with the San Diego Padres.
However, the posting rules have since changed and Kim will be free to negotiate with all 30 teams. The Mets are reportedly one of the teams that scouted the former MVP during the 2019 season.
The 30-year-old went 17-6 with a 2.51 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 4.74 SO/W ratio in 190 1/3 innings during the 2019 season. He struck out 180, walked only 36, and allowed 13 home runs.
Most recently, Kim allowed two runs on nine hits, two walls, and 10 strikeouts in 9 1/3 in the Premier 12 Tournament earlier this month pitching for the silver medal South Korean team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDPgRnkt8q8
Kim sits low-90s with his fastball, throws a slow 12-6 curve, and occasional forkball-like changeup. His best pitch overall though is his slider, scouts call it a definite major league pitch that he gets plenty of swings and misses on.
Kiley McDaniel predicts that Kim will get two-years, $14 million in FanGraphs breakdown of the Top 50 free agents.
The Mets are in need of a starting pitcher and Kim looks like a better fit in terms of asking price than re-signing Zack Wheeler.
