WASHINGTON — You understand how the buzz about the Padres potentially trading shortstop Ha-Seong Kim makes surface-level sense.
He’ll soon be a free agent. He plays in an infield with more bodies than spots, with unbudgeable contracts in all directions. He delivers Gold Glove defense. The team needs pitching as the July 30 trade deadline nears.
The situation the Padres find themselves in — trying to creatively plug holes, while doing Matrix-level contortions to dodge a massive competitive-balance tax hit — limits the directions they can go.
Is Kim the only option, though?
The real value in the market could be Donovan Solano, a steady and dependable hitter who can play multiple positions. Now that Xander Bogaerts has returned, it’s gotten much trickier to find a spot for him on the lineup card.
As Wednesday’s game against the Nationals began, Solano was out of the lineup for the fifth straight game, the longest stretch since coming to San Diego.
Compare the cases of both players.
There’s too much money available in today’s free-agency universe, so Kim is almost certainly gone a year from now. Is he worth $7 million or more annually to the Padres, given the glut of infielders and contracts?
Those are the San Diego-based motivations.
The fan base and clubhouse will love it as much as dental surgery, but it’s about trying to win sooner than later. The Padres need to find a way to pry loose pitching. That’s tough sledding when the Padres seem more wired to protect prospects than in the past.
What, though, can you reasonably expect in return for a .225 hitter this season who essentially could be framed as a glove-first rental?
Kim has heard the whispers.
“It’s definitely not, like, a good thing I’m always in these rumors, but there’s nothing I can do about it,” Kim said Wednesday via interpreter David Lee. “Ever since I came over to the big leagues, I’ve been involved in those trade rumors. I try not to pay attention too much and just do my normal routine.”
Solano might be the more movable commodity at the moment.
A team could handle the roughly $709,000 or so it would take to pick him up, pro-rated from the deadline. Maybe the Padres would assume some of that if it led to pitching.
Solano’s OPS+, comparing his value to the league average of 100, is 114 — his high-water mark since 2020. His OPS is higher than Arraez, Bogaerts … and Kim.
And if Solano can’t find his way onto the field despite the offensive success, he becomes a luxury they cannot afford when larger needs sit unaddressed.
Throw in win-now pressure on president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and Solano seems more shoppable by the minute. If more is required, Preller is crafty enough to stir Solano into a package of some sort.
“Right now everybody’s healthy, so it’s a lot of infielders,” said Solano, who has played for six teams in his nine seasons. “Nothing’s going to surprise me. I know how the business works. It’s nothing personal. They do what’s best for the organization.
“I don’t know what’s going on for me in the future, what’s going on for me tomorrow. I just stay prepared for any time the team needs me.”
For the Padres, it’s about manipulating the Jenga game to secure pitching.
Yes, Kim plays hard. Yes, he hustles. Yes, he’s insanely popular and beloved in the clubhouse. He also has appeal because of his speed. He’s coming off a 38-steal season and his 19 were tied for 17th best in the majors as Wednesday dawned.
But the sell-high moment is long gone and it’s unclear whether his success adjusting to big-league pitching in 2022 and ’23 is regressing.
It might feel cringey to watch another player walk away, as pitchers Blake Snell and Josh Hader did this offseason. With a limited return and possible declining stock, though, is it better to ride out Kim’s glove work and not shake up an infield that already has shuffled Bogaerts and Cronenworth?
Enter Solano. Even at 36, he offers value with a track record of hitting and his defensive versatility.
“Every option is on the table, but I want to stay here,” Solano said. “I want to help this team go to the playoffs, go to the World Series. If it’s going to be here, if it’s going to be another team, who knows?”
Kim understandably is comfortable with the Padres, considering it’s the only big-league team he’s played on. He also overcame a language barrier to build lasting relationships with teammates.
“It’s something I can’t control,” Kim said. “But I’m really happy with the group of guys we have here. I like being in San Diego.”
There’s a lot of talk about Kim.
Solano makes more sense.