Padres Place Yu Darvish On Restricted List
The Padres finally announced their Opening Day roster on Wednesday evening. It more or less finalized a number of already known moves, though the biggest development is that starter Yu Darvish has been placed on the restricted list. Alden González of ESPN first reported that was the plan.
Darvish underwent elbow surgery last November. He won’t pitch at all in 2026. The expectation had been that he’d spend the season on the 60-day injured list. The Padres instead place him on the restricted list, which is for players who are under contract but are unavailable to play for various reasons. The restricted list is best known for its use when a player is suspended, though it’s more commonly briefly used when a player is away from the team for personal matters.
Players on the restricted list do not count against their clubs’ 40-man rosters, though that’s also true for those on the 60-day injured list. The more notable distinction is that teams are not required to pay players while they’re on the restricted list. It isn’t publicly known whether the team will continue paying Darvish any or all of his $15MM salary.
Of course, a team cannot place a player on the restricted list and avoid paying his contract merely because he suffered an injury. There’s surely more to this situation going on behind the scenes. There have been reports dating back to the end of last season about the sides negotiating some way to void the remaining three years on his deal. Darvish provided a statement in January, saying that he has not decided on retirement but confirming that the team, his camp, and the MLB Players Association have had conversations about terminating his contract. There hadn’t been any further updates on his situation until today.
His deal runs through 2028 and contains $43MM in remaining guarantees for his age 39-41 campaigns. The Padres would no doubt love to negotiate some kind of buyout or deferral plan that frees up short-term payroll space and lowers their luxury tax number. González points out that the still unsigned Lucas Giolito would be a sensible target for a team with questions in the back half of the rotation.
In 2024, Darvish agreed to a restricted list placement to attend to a family matter. He had previously been on the injured list at the time. The Padres offered to allow him to remain on the IL but Darvish opted to spend more than a month on the restricted list instead, voluntarily bypassing nearly $4MM in salary (link via Dennis Lin of The Athletic). The pitcher’s agent, Joel Wolfe, praised the team’s handling of the situation while noting that Darvish “just didn’t feel it was right to collect the money if he wasn’t fully committed to the rehab and coming back.”
There’ll presumably be an update from the team and/or Darvish’s representatives before long. The most immediate effect is that he’s off the 40-man roster. That’s a formality but was needed to officially select the contracts of Walker Buehler and Ty France, both of whom made the team last week.
San Diego placed seven more players on the injured list. Infielders Sung-Mun Song and Will Wagner went on the 10-day injured list, as both players are dealing with right oblique strains. Pitchers Jason Adam (recovery from left quad surgery), Griffin Canning (recovery from left Achilles surgery), Bryan Hoeing (flexor surgery), Joe Musgrove (elbow inflammation), Matt Waldron (which the team announced only as “surgery” after being a little more specific in February), and Yuki Matsui (left groin strain) all land on the 15-day injured list.
Adam was the only one of those players who held out hope of making the Opening Day roster. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Monday that he’d open on the injured list. It’s mostly to buy time for Adam to continue building up, as he made just two appearances at the end of Spring Training. He should be back sometime in April. In the meantime, this allows the Padres to carry both hard-throwing rookie Bradgley Rodríguez and the out-of-options Ron Marinaccio on the Opening Day roster.
NL West Notes: Carroll, Kelly, France, Song
Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll emerged from his live batting practice session unscathed on Friday as he works his way back from a broken hamate bone. The two-time All-Star told reporters, including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, that he’s nearing a return to Spring Training action. Carroll added that he wants to get into 10 spring games.
Carroll is still less than a month removed from his February 11 surgery. He’d certainly be on the early end of the typical timeline to return from the procedure if he returns to the field soon. Manager Torey Lovullo pushed back a bit on Carroll’s outlook. “I respect Corbin’s drive and determination, that’s what makes him great. But in this case, the medical team is still in control of what’s going on,” Lovullo told reporters, including Alex Weiner of Arizona Sports.
If Carroll does get into Spring Training games, his power stroke will be something to watch. Hamate bone injuries tend to impact slugging, particularly early on. Carroll popped a career-high 31 home runs this past season. He boosted his hard-hit rate to 49.9%, exactly 9% higher than his previous best. Carroll more than doubled his barrel rate year-over-year, jumping from 7.2% in 2024 to 14.5% last year.
Merrill Kelly continues to make progress after a back issue threatened to place him on the IL to begin the 2026 campaign. The right-hander was scratched from a live batting practice session in late February and told reporters he was unlikely to be ready for the opener. His tone changed last weekend following a cortisone and lidocaine injection. He was able to play catch without issue, and recently came out of a bullpen session free of setbacks. Kelly is set for a live batting practice session on Sunday, Lovullo told reporters (h/t to Weiner again).
The injury set Kelly back a couple of weeks, but he’s now on track to break camp with the team and avoid the injured list. If Arizona slots him at the back of the rotation, his turn wouldn’t come up until March 31 against the Tigers. An off-day on March 29 could allow the Diamondbacks to push Kelly back even further, if they desired. Michael Soroka could step in as the fifth starter to give Kelly extra time to get ready.
Elsewhere in the division, Ty France is making a push to break camp with the Padres, notes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The veteran infielder hit three balls at least 105 mph in Saturday’s Spring Training matchup against the Guardians. One went for a double, pushing France’s OPS to .944 this spring. “He needs to keep swinging like he did today,” manager Craig Stammen said. “If you can hit, we’ll find a place for you.”
Stammen added that the veteran would get more opportunities at second and third base. France has made a total of three appearances at second base over the past four big-league seasons. He hasn’t played the hot corner since 2022. The added defensive versatility would give him a leg up for a roster spot on a squad with several first base/DH options.
San Diego’s outfield is set with Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Ramon Laureano, which pushes Gavin Sheets to first base. That leaves France to battle with Miguel Andujar, Nick Castellanos, and Jose Miranda for DH and potentially platoon work with the lefty-swinging Sheets. For his part, Miranda has matched France for the team lead in hits this spring at nine.
There could be another bench spot up for grabs depending on Sung-Mun Song’s recovery from an oblique injury. The former KBO standout dealt with a right oblique issue in the offseason, but came to camp healthy. He then felt renewed tightness in the oblique during a spring game on Thursday and had to be removed. Acee relayed that the team has been encouraged by Song’s progress since then. “They’re going to try to get him moving around here today,” Stammen said. “We’ll see when (he starts) swinging a bat.”
The club is hopeful Song will get back into Spring Training games at some point. A Cactus League appearance would put him on track to be ready for Opening Day. Stammen added that the outfield experiment is paused for now.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images
Padres Notes: Pivetta, Song, Cronenworth
The Padres are pushing Nick Pivetta’s scheduled start on Sunday back due to arm fatigue, reports Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. San Diego’s staff ace had been scheduled to throw a standard bullpen session this afternoon. That was also delayed, though Acee writes that Pivetta should throw a bullpen within a few days and could be back in game action next week.
There doesn’t seem to be any real concern. Pitchers are still building up arm strength at this stage of Spring Training. Pivetta also has one of the stronger durability track records of any pitcher in the league. Aside from illness, he has only gone on the injured list once in his MLB career — a month-long absence early in 2024 due to a flexor strain. He returned without issue and had the best season of his career for San Diego last year.
If the pause lasts more than a few days, it’s possible it’ll lead the Padres to reconsider the way they order their season-opening rotation. San Diego hasn’t announced who’ll take the ball against Tarik Skubal and the Tigers on March 26. Pivetta would be the obvious choice on the heels of a sixth-place Cy Young finish. He has made two starts this spring, building to 43 pitches on Tuesday. Michael King, Joe Musgrove and Randy Vásquez are expected to follow him in the rotation. There’s an open competition for the fifth starter role.
A more notable camp storyline is the health of utility player Sung-mun Song. The former KBO star tweaked his right oblique during offseason training. Song was cleared early in camp and has appeared in seven Spring Training games, batting .250 with one home run across 19 plate appearances. He felt renewed tightness in the oblique during Thursday’s game and was lifted after two at-bats.
Song didn’t play on Friday and is listed as day to day. Manager Craig Stammen told Acee the team will approach the situation with increased caution now that the oblique has flared up twice. He noted that it’s more general soreness than something that can be traced to one swing, which likely would have signified a more acute strain. Song’s status for Opening Day is nevertheless back in question. If he’s not available, Mason McCoy or Will Wagner could win a utility role.
A second/third baseman in Korea, Song was making his first professional start at shortstop in yesterday’s game. The Padres have also had him take outfield drills to build more defensive versatility. They’ll have Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado in the lineup most days at Song’s respective primary positions.
Cronenworth is out to a strong start in camp, batting .353 through his first 18 plate appearances. He connected on his first home run of exhibition play in Thursday’s 27-6 rout of the Mariners. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com notes that the longball came to left-center field. That’s not ordinarily noteworthy, but the lefty-hitting Cronenworth has never hit a regular season home run to the opposite field. He has 80 career longballs over six seasons, all of which have gone to the pull side.
One exhibition homer isn’t going to suddenly make Cronenworth an all-fields power threat. It came off a Double-A pitcher in a game where the wind was blowing out; the teams combined for 12 homers altogether. Still, it’s a positive indicator that aligns with some tweaks which Cronenworth made over the winter to his weight transfer and bat path. Cassavell chats with the veteran infielder and first-year hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. about the adjustments for a piece that Padres fans will want to give a full read.
NL West Notes: Devers, Bader, Song
The Giants are banged up this spring. The club released a handful of injury updates regarding a few notable names on Saturday. The highest-profile player on the list was Rafael Devers, who is dealing with a left hamstring injury. The slugger will be sidelined for the next two to four days, as relayed by multiple reporters, including Maria Guardado of MLB.com.
Devers has suited up for three Spring Training games so far. He last played on Thursday against the Rockies. Every Devers appearance this spring has been at first base. The position was a point of contention with his former team, but he’ll head into his first full season with San Francisco as the top option at the cold corner.
Harrison Bader will not hit for the next two days as he recovers from a right thumb contusion. The outfielder was pulled from Friday’s game after one at-bat due to the injury. Assuming a return to full health, Bader will lock down center field for the Giants.
Drew Gilbert is working through a left shoulder impingement. The issue will keep him from throwing for the next five to seven days. Gilbert’s absence could impact the race for the fourth outfielder spot. Luis Matos has spent decent stints with the Giants in each of the past three seasons, but he’s being pressed for a bench spot by Gilbert, Will Brennan, and non-roster invitee Jared Oliva, to name a few.
In the bullpen, Erik Miller and Joel Peguero are both progressing well. Miller is dealing with lower back tightness. He’s throwing from flat ground for now, with the expectation he’ll get back on the mound in a few days. Peguero is battling hamstring tightness. He completed a live bullpen and is expected to get back into Spring Training games next week.
Elsewhere around the division, the Padres are looking to expand Sung-Mun Song‘s versatility. The infielder played first base, second base, and third base during his nine-year KBO career. San Diego is expected to begin working him out at shortstop and in left field, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. Despite never playing either position as a professional, the Padres are confident Song will pick them up quickly. “We’ve just got to get him on the practice field doing those things,” Stammen said. “And then we can put him in a game.”
San Diego doesn’t have an obvious spot in the lineup for Song, so getting him comfortable at several spots will help him contribute in multiple areas. The 29-year-old is coming off two stellar seasons in KBO, including a 25/25 campaign with a 151 wRC+ this past year.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
Padres Notes: Sheets, DH, Preller
With Luis Arraez having departed for San Francisco on a one-year deal yesterday, it’s now official that the Padres will have a new face at first base this year. As noted by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Gavin Sheets figures to get the first crack at the position for San Diego this year.
Sheets, 29, turned in a decent performance in his first year with the club last season. Across 145 games, Sheets slashed .252/.317/.429 with a wRC+ of 111. Sheets’s overall production was dragged down by atrocious defensive numbers in the outfield, however, and it’s possible that a return to his natural position for the first time since he was a farmhand in the White Sox organization (where he was blocked by Jose Abreu, prompting his ill-fated move to the outfield) could help him recoup some defensive value and build on 2025’s solid offensive numbers to become a more well-rounded contributor.
While improved defense as a result of moving from the outfield to first base would be helpful, it won’t fix the hefty platoon split Sheets had last season. He posted a 119 wRC+ against righties while struggling to the tune of an 89 wRC+ against same-handed pitching. That difference was mostly seen in the power department; Sheets slugged 17 of his 19 homers against right-handers in 2025, as well as 37 of his 48 extra-base hits overall. Getting a right-handed complement to Sheets in the door would make plenty of sense, with Paul Goldschmidt, Ty France, and Rhys Hoskins among the right-handed first baseman still available on the market.
Such an addition could also factor into the DH mix, which has been unsettled by Sheets moving over to first. Offseason signing Sung Mun Song and youngster Will Wagner could both factor in at the position, though they’ll also get the opportunity to handle some first base duties behind Sheets as needed. Song’s versatility as an infielder capable of handling first, second, or third base creates an opportunity for the DH slot in the lineup to be used to rest regulars at other positions. Manny Machado, for example, could get days to rest at DH while Song fills in for him at the hot corner. Xander Bogaerts could also see time at DH, with Jake Cronenworth capable of giving him a breather at shortstop as needed.
Sanders writes that utilizing the DH to rest regulars is part of the plan for newly-minted manager Craig Stammen, but Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune also relays that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has not ruled out the possibility of a meaningful addition to the DH mix. If the Padres were to sign a platoon partner for Sheets, that player could surely factor into the DH mix against right-handed hitters while spelling Sheets at first when a lefty is on the mound, thereby opening up DH to rest veterans like Machado and Bogaerts.
With all that said, it’s at least plausible that the most important signing the Padres make in the coming weeks is with Preller himself. While Preller acknowledged to reporters (including Heilbrunn) that he hopes to add players who will impact the roster in the coming weeks, as he has in previous years when making additions like Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease late in the offseason calendar, he also noted that his focus on the roster has caused his own contract status to fall to the wayside.
As relayed by Heilbrunn, Preller told reporters that an extension ahead of his final season under contract not yet being in place is partially “on him,” and that while the sides have not yet reached a “win-win deal” he hopes to have something in place soon. That’s a different tone than was struck by reporting back in November, which suggested that Preller was in talks on a new contract with the club and that a deal could’ve been just days away. That obviously did not come to fruition, and now it seems at least plausible that Preller could enter 2026 without security about his future.
It’s an especially precarious position for San Diego’s front office leader to be in considering previous reports of behind-the-scenes tension between Preller and club CEO Erik Greupner. It will be worth watching Preller’s status until an extension is revealed, as he would surely be a coveted talent for rival franchises around the league if the Padres were to decide to let him go. Preller took over in San Diego in the final weeks of the 2014 season, and while the Padres have only made the playoffs four times under his leadership, the team’s body of work over the past six seasons represents the most successful stretch of baseball in franchise history.
Sung Mun Song To Miss Four Weeks Recovering From Oblique Injury
Padres infielder Sung Mun Song will require about four weeks of recovery time due to an oblique injury, according to Jeeho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency. Song sustained the injury during a recent batting practice session.
The projected recovery period just about matches up with the start of San Diego’s spring camp, so Song might not miss any time at all as he prepares for his first big league Spring Training. As always, of course, oblique-related injuries are notoriously tricky to gauge, so the four-week timeline perhaps represents a best-case scenario. Song will also be missing out on offseason prep time in general, so depending on his progress, the Padres could place him on the 10-day injured list to begin the season if Song still needs a little more time to ramp up.
As Yoo notes, the more immediate matter for Song even before Opening Day is the World Baseball Classic in March. That said, it wasn’t known if Song was intending to play for the South Korean national team or if he was skipping the WBC to focus on his debut season in the majors. Yoo writes that Song didn’t take part in the South Korean team’s preliminary camp that opened on January 9, hinting that Song might not have been in the team’s plans even if healthy.
Song wasn’t on the national team’s radar during the last WBC in 2023, as the infielder didn’t really start to produce big numbers in the KBO League until the 2024 season. Song broke out with 19 homers and a .340/.409/.518 slash line over 602 plate appearances for the Kiwoom Heroes that year, and followed up by hitting .315/.387/.530 with 26 home runs in 646 PA in 2025.
This put Song onto the radar of Major League teams, and after the Heroes agreed to post him, San Diego signed Song in December to a four-year contract worth $15MM in guaranteed money, with a player opt-out prior to the 2029 season and a club option for the 2030 season. Manny Machado is occupying Song’s primary position of third base, but Song’s ability to also play first and second base should allow him plenty of playing time bouncing around the Padres’ infield, plus the team has also considered him as an outfield candidate. There’s plenty of intrigue in how the 29-year-old will adjust to MLB pitching, though this oblique issue is an unwelcome first hurdle to Song’s Padres career.
Padres Considering Song In Outfield
San Diego landed Sung Mun Song on a four-year, $15MM deal last week. The KBO star is headed toward a versatile role with the Padres, which could include opportunities in the outfield. Song never appeared in the outfield during his time in the KBO, but manager Craig Stammen mentioned the position as a possibility.
“Wherever we can get his bat in the lineup, that’s what we’re going to try to do. And we want to find a spot for him where he can be productive for the Padres, and there’s a lot of different places that I think he can fit,” Stammen told reporters, including Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News.
Song has bounced around the diamond in his career, spending considerable time at first base, second base, and third base. He’s been mostly at the hot corner in recent seasons, including 108 starts at the position in 2025. The Padres obviously have Manny Machado locked in at third base, though he could spend more time at DH as he enters his age-33 season.
The right side of San Diego’s infield is far less settled. Luis Arraez is a free agent, which leaves Jake Cronenworth and Gavin Sheets as candidates for first base. Mason McCoy and Will Wagner are the current options at second base, along with Cronenworth. Song might have the inside track for reps at the keystone, given the unproven competition.
The Padres’ outfield is set in stone with the trio of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Ramon Laureano, so it’s interesting that Stammen mentioned Song as an option on the grass. He did reference the Dodgers and their usage of players like Enrique Hernandez, Miguel Rojas, and Tommy Edman as an example of an elite team with movable parts. Song could match the multi-faceted defensive contributions of those players, even if the outfield discussion doesn’t amount to in-season reps.
Finding ways to get Song’s bat in the lineup makes sense, considering his recent production in the KBO. The lefty hit a career-high .340 in 2024, while also setting career-best marks in home runs (19) and stolen bases (21). Song followed it up with a 25/25 campaign that included a career-high 103 runs scored. He’s always had good plate discipline, but Song has added a new level of power recently. After four straight seasons with a sub-.375 slugging percentage, he’s been above .500 the past two years.
Photo courtesy of Mike Watters, Imagn Images
Padres Sign Sung-Mun Song
December 22nd: The Padres officially announced their signing of Song today. The deal is actually a four-year pact worth $15MM, as per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press, with the fourth year existing as a player option for Song. There is also a $7MM mutual option for the 2030 season with a $1M buyout. Song will get a $2.5MM salary in 2026, $3MM in 2027, $3.5MM in 2028, and (if he doesn’t opt out) $4MM in 2029. The Padres will also pay Song a $1MM signing bonus broken up into a $500K installment in January, and then the other $500K coming in January 2027.
Song would also receive a $1MM bonus for winning NL Rookie of the Year honors, and there is a salary escalator if he achieves a top-five finish in MVP voting. The Heroes will receive a $3MM posting fee from the Padres, representing the standard 20% posting fee attached to any contract worth $25MM or less for a KBO League player.
December 19th: The Padres are in agreement with infielder Sung Mun Song on a contract, according to a report from Robert Murray of FanSided. According to Francys Romero of BeisbolFR, it’s a three-year deal that guarantees Song around $13MM.
Song, 29, has broken out in a big way over his last two seasons playing for the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes. After typically being a slightly below average hitter by that league’s standards in the early years of his career, Song exploded with a .340/.408/.518 (143 wRC+) slash line across 602 plate appearances during the 2024 season. He flashed 20/20 potential at the plate and walked at a career-high 10.6% clip while primarily playing third base for the Heroes. He followed up on that season with an even better year in 2025, as he slashed .315/.387/.530 (151 wRC+) with 26 homers, 25 steals, and 37 doubles in 646 trips to the plate.
Those dominant back-to-back campaigns in the KBO league were enough to convince Song to try his hand in the majors, and the Heroes made Song’s goal a reality when they posted him for MLB clubs last month. That opened a 30-day window (set to close on the 21st of December) for Song to negotiate with MLB clubs. Song has typically been viewed by scouts as a step below MLB Gold Glove winner Ha-Seong Kim, the best South Korean player to make the jump to the majors in recent years, and there’s been some debate about whether he’s more of a utility player or a proper starter at the big league level.
Song’s reported price tag is certainly affordable enough for the Padres to stomach in the event he’s more of a bench piece than a regular. A multi-year pact that pays Song less than $5MM annually figures to be quite affordable for San Diego; Jose Iglesias earned $3MM last year after being added to San Diego’s roster on a minor league deal to fill out the club’s bench mix. Song figures to fill a similar role this year to the one Iglesias held last season, chipping in around the infield and serving as a pinch-hitter.
While Song has primarily played third base throughout his career in the KBO league, that position is manned by Manny Machado in San Diego. Perhaps the Padres will look to get Machado occasional DH reps headed into his age-33 campaign, but aside from those occasional fill-in days Song figures to spend most of his time at first and second base, both of which are positions he logged significant time at in South Korea. Jake Cronenworth is currently slated to serve as San Diego’s second baseman next year, though his name has popped up in trade talks this winter. First base meanwhile, is unsettled after the departure of Luis Arraez. Gavin Sheets has some experience at the position but may be better suited for DH duties. As a result, first base could be Song’s best shot at regular reps, though it’s possible a trade of Cronenworth or the addition of a more traditional first base option like Paul Goldschmidt or Rhys Hoskins changes things.
The signing of Song comes just one day after the club agreed to reunite with right-hander Michael King on a three-year, opt-out laden contract. According to RosterResource, the Padres project for a payroll just under $217MM in 2026, with a payroll of nearly $258MM for luxury tax purposes. That’s before the addition of Song to the payroll, which at the currently reported numbers would push the team’s payroll up to around $221MM and around $262MM for luxury tax purposes. That would put them just barely below the second, $264MM luxury tax threshold for 2026.
If the Padres don’t want to go over that line, they would need to subtract salary from the roster to make virtually any more additions to the roster. That’s far from impossible, as rumors have percolated around not only Cronenworth but also players like right-hander Nick Pivetta and Ramon Laureano. A trade of Pivetta would save $20.5MM in 2026 and $13.75MM for luxury tax purposes. Cronenworth being dealt would save roughly $12.3MM in 2026 and $11.5MM for luxury tax purposes. Laureano wouldn’t save nearly as much money, as he’s due just $6.5MM next season on the final year of his contract.
Of course, it’s also possible the Padres simply stand pat from here, though doing so without adding another bat to the first base/DH mix would certainly be risky. Perhaps an addition on the trade market that comes with a lower financial cost could make some sense if San Diego neither wants to exceed the second luxury tax threshold nor trade salary to make room in the budget. Players like Triston Casas of the Red Sox and Mark Vientos of the Mets could potentially be available this winter and remain under affordable team control.
KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes Post Infielder Sung-mun Song
The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization have agreed to post infielder Sung-mun Song, reports Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News. The KBO posting window is 30 days (unlike the 45-day period for players coming over from Japan’s NPB). MLB teams will officially be able to negotiate with Song, whom Yoo adds has hired ISE Baseball to represent him, on Saturday morning. He’ll need to sign by 5:00 pm Eastern on December 21 or remain with the Heroes.
Song, 29, is a left-handed hitter who has played all nine seasons of his career with that club. He posted a sub-.700 OPS every year between 2021-23 but has taken a leap forward at the plate over the past two years. Song hit .340/.409/.518 last year and is coming off an equally impressive ’25 campaign. He popped a career-best 26 home runs with a .315/.387/.530 slash across 646 plate appearances.
Among 30 KBO hitters with 500+ trips to the dish, Song finished sixth in both average and on-base percentage and was third in slugging. He also finished third in home runs (albeit well behind former MLB first baseman Lewin Díaz’s league-best 50 longballs). Song walked at a 10.5% rate while striking out 14.9% of the time. The strikeout rate would be excellent against big league pitching but is only a little better than average in Korea, where the velocity is lower and hitters put far more balls in play.
Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs gave Song a 45 FV grade, which is commensurate with a mid-level prospect from the typical organization’s top 30 list. Longenhagen credited him with plus power to the pull side and a plus arm at third base, where he has spent most of his KBO career. He’s a good athlete who stole 25 bases this year and has gone 46-48 in stolen base attempts over the past two seasons.
The biggest question is his pure hitting ability. Longenhagen writes that Song has shown a bit of a propensity to chase outside the strike zone and has an uphill swing path that can leave him vulnerable to pitches up in the zone, especially those on the outer half. Readers are encouraged to check out FanGraphs’ full scouting report for more details. Will Sammon and Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic wrote earlier this month that evaluators with whom they spoke viewed Song more as a utility player than a regular.
Song has some defensive flexibility, but an inability to play shortstop limits his value as a utility piece. He’s primarily a corner infielder who also has almost 1300 innings at second base. The Angels need a third baseman and are looking for a left-handed bat to balance a righty-heavy lineup. The Astros also want to bring in a lefty-hitting infielder, though they’d need to feel comfortable playing Song regularly at second base unless they trade one of Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker. The A’s are in the second and third base markets, while the Mariners could be as well depending on whether they re-sign their own free agents. The White Sox, Pirates, Marlins, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Tigers and Royals (with Maikel Garcia capable of playing second) could all be in the mix for a third baseman.
A signing team would owe a posting fee to the Heroes on top of whatever is guaranteed to Song. That’s proportional to the contract value: 20% of the first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% thereafter. It’d be surprising if Song tops $25MM, so the likeliest outcome is that the release fee will be 20% of the guarantee.
Song is the only KBO player known to be on the posting radar this offseason. First baseman Baek-Ho Kang was reportedly considering an MLB move, but he signed a four-year contract with the KBO’s Hanwha Eagles this week. While Cody Ponce is expected to return to MLB after a dominant KBO season, he’ll do so as a free agent rather than via the posting system. There are three much higher-profile NPB players making the jump via the posting system: Tatsuya Imai, Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto. Japanese righty Kona Takahashi is also being posted but will command a far lower contract than the other three.
Sung-Mun Song Hoping To Be Posted For MLB Teams
KBO infielder Sung-Mun Song could be available for MLB teams this winter. A few weeks ago, he told Jee-ho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency that he will ask the Kiwoom Heroes to post him after the current season. Yoo notes that MLB teams began scouting him last year. Yoo also published another piece for Yonhap this week wherein Mark Pieper of ISE Baseball, Song’s agency, spoke about the player’s desire to make the move this winter.
Song, 29, is characterized by Yoo as a late bloomer. It’s noted that he didn’t become an everyday player until 2019. He then had his career sidetracked by his military service, which led to him missing the entire 2020 season and part of 2021 as well.
He has since seen a huge uptick in his performance in recent years. Over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, he had a combined .253/.311/.366 line and a 85 wRC+. Since the start of 2024, he has a .330/.402/.528 batting line, production which translates to a 146 wRC+. He hit 19 home runs last year and is already up to 24 this season. He also stole 22 bases last year and is at 21 so far in 2025. Defensively, he is primarily a third baseman but has also spend significant time at second and first base.
Song and his representatives feel he is ready for a move to North America. The Heroes don’t have to post him and have actually signed him to a six-year extension, but Yoo notes they have also said they will support him if he wants to make the move to Major League Baseball. Assuming they do eventually post him at some point this winter, that will open up a 30-day posting window where Song can negotiate will all 30 MLB clubs.
If he signs with one of them, the Heroes will be entitled to a posting fee, the size of which would depend upon the specifics of his MLB deal. The fee will be calculated as 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, plus 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter. Additional earnings, such as performance bonuses/incentives or salaries on option years fall under that purview once they are unlocked or exercised.
His market will naturally be dependent on whether or not clubs think he can have success in North American ball. His most recent results are impressive but the track record of success is still fairly short. As a point of comparison, Ha-Seong Kim hit 19 home runs in 2019 and then 30 in 2020, his final two KBO seasons. He had a combined .307/.393/.507 line and 142 wRC+ over those two seasons. That’s fairly similar to Song’s two recent campaigns but Kim also slashed .290/.364/.488 for a 112 wRC+ over the 2015-2018 campaigns. He therefore had a longer track record of decent production and also provided more defensive value as a plus shortstop. Yoo notes that Kim, who also played for the Heroes, had a conversation with Song and convinced him to try the leap to MLB.
Kim secured a four-year, $28MM deal from the Padres ahead of the 2021 season. Arguably, he was a better player at that time compared to Song now, though a few years of inflation could work in Song’s favor. This winter’s third base market will likely be headlined by Alex Bregman, assuming he opts out of his deal with the Red Sox, and Eugenio Suárez. At second, Gleyber Torres should be the main attraction. Teams looking for help at first base will likely be looking at Pete Alonso, who can opt out of his Mets deal, as well as Luis Arráez, Josh Naylor, Rhys Hoskins, Ryan O’Hearn and others.
Song will be more affordable than many of the guys in that group, even with the posting fee, though he will also come with the natural uncertainty surrounding a player with no previous major league experience.
Photo courtesy of Evan Habeeb, Imagn Images