Why the Padres should trade Ha-Seong Kim

In a breakout season in 2023, San Diego's Ha-Seong Kim posted the fifth-highest WAR of any second baseman and set career highs for hits (140), home runs (17), runs batted in (60), stolen bases (38), batting average (.260) and slugging percentage (.749). Now, with one year left on his contract, the Padres face a difficult decision.

Should they sign the 28-year-old Kim to a huge extension or trade him?

San Diego isn't set up financially to sign another infielder to a massive contract. Per Spotrac, three Padres infielders (3B Manny Machado, SS Xander Bogaerts and 2B/1B/SS Jake Cronenworth) take up 31.78% of the team's $140 million payroll.

The Athletic's Dennis Lin predicted a possible Kim extension to be anywhere between $130 million to $150 million over seven years. The Padres would then have six players (Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Bogaerts, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove) with deals totaling over $100 million each, which isn't ideal for a team looking to shed money.

San Diego doesn't want to get stuck with a long-term deal similar to what Cronenworth received (seven years, $80 million last April). Now, less than a year later, the team is looking for trade partners to take Cronenworth (.223 BA in 2023) off its hands, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Judging from the talent in San Diego's farm system, a trade of Kim seems to be the smart move.

Jackson Merrill, San Diego's No. 2 prospect and the ninth-ranked MLB prospect (per MLB.com), is a 20-year-old shortstop who is expected to make his major league debut in 2024. With Bogaerts almost guaranteed to stay at shortstop for the time being, the Padres may play Merrill at second base as the potential successor to Kim.

Other than Merrill, the Padres have the No. 1 international prospect of 2024 out of the Dominican Republic, Leodalis De Vries, a 17-year-old switch-hitting shortstop. 

"A special, talented player," Padres vice president of amateur and international scout Chris Kemp said, per the San Diego Union-Tribune. De Vries considers Cleveland Guardians All-Star third baseman José Ramírez a mentor.

If the Padres believe De Vries can rise through the ranks as fast as last year's top international prospect, catcher Ethan Salas, he could be playing in the majors by the time he is 21.

As a fan favorite, trading Kim would undoubtedly cause hard feelings toward the front office, but for a team looking to retool and stay competitive for years to come, trading him at his peak would be prudent.