Headlines

  • Giants, Scott Kazmir Agree To Minor League Deal
  • Yankees Sign Justin Wilson
  • Braves Sign Jake Lamb
  • Athletics Sign Mitch Moreland
  • Yankees Re-Sign Brett Gardner
  • Giants To Sign Jake McGee
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Indians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • Last 100 Comments
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

MLB Tenders Status Check On Korean Outfielder Ah-Seop Son

By Steve Adams | October 30, 2017 at 9:07am CDT

Major League Baseball has tendered a status check on outfielder Ah-seop Son of the Korea Baseball Organization’s Lotte Giants, reports Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. The status check is largely a formality, but an agreement between MLB and the KBO stipulates that if a team has interest in a potential KBO free agent (or a player that is eligible for posting), that MLB team must formally check the status of the player through official league channels. In other words, as Yoo points out, the status check indicates that at least one MLB team has expressed interest in signing Son this winter.

Some readers of MLBTR may recall Son’s name from two years ago, when KBO’s Giants posted him, but he did not draw a bid from a Major League club. At the time, Son was coming off a characteristically strong season at the plate, having batted .317/.406/.472 with 13 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 517 plate appearances. Excellent bating averages and OBP numbers are nothing new for Son, who has not batted lower than .306 and has not posted an OBP south of .370 since becoming a regular as a 22-year-old back in 2010. Yoo notes that Son’s career .325 batting average is tied for the league-wide lead among active KBO players.

However, Son’s two seasons since failing to draw a bid have been his two best campaigns yet. The 2016 season saw the left-handed-hitting corner outfielder bat .323/.418/.468 with 16 home runs and a career-high 42 stolen bases (in 46 attempts). This past season, Son clubbed a career-high 20 home runs and a career-best 35 doubles en route to a .335/.420/.514 batting line. He also swiped 25 bases in 33 attempts. He’ll turn 30 next March.

Unlike the last time he was made available for MLB teams, Son is a legitimate free agent following the conclusion of the Korean Series (the KBO’s championship series). He will not be subject to the KBO posting system or to international bonus pools, making him free to sign with any MLB team for any amount. That doesn’t guarantee that he’ll sign a Major League contract, of course; Son’s former teammate, Jae-gyun Hwang, was a superstar in the KBO but settled for a minor league pact with MLB’s Giants last offseason due to tepid interest on the open market.

Son, by all accounts, is limited to the outfield corners. He’s been compared to Nori Aoki in terms of skill set: limited power but excellent bat-to-ball skills and above-average speed. In his KBO career, Son has struck out at just a 15.4 percent clip, as compared to an 11.4 percent walk rate. Those marks were even better in 2017, as he walked in 12.4 percent of his PAs and whiffed at just a 14.3 percent pace.

That Son was able to show improved discipline while also logging a career-high in homers is certainly an encouraging trend for his stock as an international free agent this winter, but it remains to be seen exactly where he’ll fit into the market. J.D. Martinez, Justin Upton (assuming he opts out of the remaining four years on his contract) and Jay Bruce are the top corner names available, and teams interest in that trio won’t look at Son as a fallback. But, Son could provide teams looking at the next tier of free-agent outfielders — Carlos Gomez, Jon Jay, Jarrod Dyson, Howie Kendrick, etc. — with an affordable, albeit more uncertain option to pursue.

Share 0 Retweet 10 Send via email0

Ah-Seop Son

Quick Hits: Callaway, Tribe, Santana, Yankees, Long
Main
O’s Have Reportedly Reached Out To Tillman, Miley
3 comments
newest oldest

Comments

  1. Out of place Met fan

    3 years ago

    Interesting addition to the market. Though I can’t see a team offering more than an opportunity to compete for a bench role.

    Like
    Reply
  2. beersy

    3 years ago

    If Son’s KBO numbers transfer over to MLB at all comparably, he would look good in LF at Petco. Son would be a very nice pick up the Padres and a very “Prellerish” move.

    Like
    Reply
  3. stymeedone

    3 years ago

    Potential low risk sign for Detroit. Fills LF until prospects are ready.

    Like
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Giants, Scott Kazmir Agree To Minor League Deal

    Yankees Sign Justin Wilson

    Braves Sign Jake Lamb

    Athletics Sign Mitch Moreland

    Yankees Re-Sign Brett Gardner

    Giants To Sign Jake McGee

    Mariners CEO Kevin Mather Resigns

    Athletics Sign Trevor Rosenthal

    Padres Extend Fernando Tatis Jr.

    Mets Sign Kevin Pillar

    Recent

    Red Sox Designate Marcus Walden

    Pirates Acquire Dustin Fowler From Athletics

    Jerry Dipoto, Jarred Kelenic Respond To Kevin Mather Controversy

    Braves Designate Jack Mayfield For Assignment

    Indians Claim Harold Ramirez, Designate Jordan Humphreys

    Braves Claim Guillermo Heredia

    Covid Notes: Jose Abreu, Andrew Miller

    Royce Lewis Diagnosed With Torn ACL, Will Undergo Surgery Friday

    Phillies Have “Checked In” On Jake Odorizzi

    Quick Hits: Suarez, Anibal, Chatwood, Choo

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Kris Bryant Rumors
    • Jackie Bradley Jr. Rumors
    • Jake Odorizzi Rumors
    • Taijuan Walker Rumors
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • 2020-21 Top 50 MLB Free Agents With Predictions
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent Tracker
    • 2020-21 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2021-22 MLB Free Agent List
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2021
    • 2021 MLB Arbitration Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Indians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version