The Cleveland Guardians currently lack a starting second baseman.
That is not to say they do not have quality internal candidates to take over the keystone, but they are currently unsure what they will do after trading Andrés Giménez.
The options at the table are to bring up Juan Brito or to use Angel Martinez or Daniel Schneemann at second. They may also sign a free agent or make a trade transaction.
With this in mind, Caleb Moody of Just Baseball has identified the Guardians as a possible destination for Korean middle infielder Hyeseong Kim.
He discusses Kim as a potential’stopgap’ alternative as the company waits for the Travis Bazzana era to begin.
That may be late 2025, early 2026, or possibly
Deeper into the 2026 campaign.
Having a strong player like Kim on the roster until that time comes would assist the Guardians. Kim is also versatile enough to play decent shortstop and compete with Brayan Rocchio on a long-term basis.
“Kim would offer a solid upside option to compete with Rocchio for reps at short, ensuring the shortstop position isn’t entirely a black hole offensively for the Guardians in 2025 like it was last year,” according to Moody.
Kim, who played second base for the Kiwoom Heroes in 2024, had a.326/.383/.458 slash line, a 10.9% strikeout rate, an 8.3% walk rate, and a 118 wRC+ in 567 plate appearances.
He doesn’t have much power, but he can consistently hit the ball and rarely strikes out.
Kim is only 25, so he has some time to catch up with MLB pitching.
He may require some time to acclimate, but he can be Ha-Seong Kim lite for the Guardians and make sense if the price is reasonable.
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