MLB news: Aroldis Chapman’s freak injury, Chaim Bloom death threats, Braves trade rumors
By Mark Powell
MLB news: If the Braves need a shortstop, the time to strike is now
It’s been nearly two months since Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that the Padres were willing to shop Trent Grisham and He-Seong Kim. Kim was on the market then, as San Diego had recently signed star shortstop Xander Bogaerts. Their loaded infield includes Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Manny Machado and more. Fernando Tatis Jr. could move to the outfield, but that’s still a work in progress.
Where does Kim fit in to all this? While he could play second base, A.J. Preller is a trade wizard, and not averse to how much value Kim has on the open market. As MLB Trade Rumors suggest, the time to trade Kim is when his value is high. That would be right now, especially since Machado signed a long-term deal just yesterday.
"“Kim should have even stronger trade appeal, as he’s coming off a better offensive season. After struggling in his first MLB campaign, the former KBO star hit .251/.325/.383 across 582 plate appearances in year two. Kim picked up 11 homers and 29 doubles while striking out in only 17.2% of his plate appearances. He also stole 12 bases in 14 attempts,” Anthony Franco of MLBTR wrote."
I suggested a Kim trade to Atlanta made sense a few weeks ago, and that’s more evident now than ever. As confident as the Braves claim they are on the outside regarding their shortstop scenario, Grissom is unproven at the position and Orlando Arcia is hardly an everyday player. Kim can solve these issues and then some while Grissom gains his footing.
dark. Next. 1 trade every MLB team would like to have back