The Rays aren’t known as a team that spends big on the open market, but they’ve been known to pounce when opportunity presents itself.
They did just that Wednesday.
Jeff Passan reports that it’s a two-year, $29 million contract for Kim, and that he can opt out of the contract after the 2025 season.
Let’s take a look at what Kim brings to the Rays, and whether or not it’ll translate into fantasy success going forward.
How much success has Kim had with the bat in his MLB career?
Kim joined the Padres in 2021 after seven seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization, and he was one of the best players in the KBO before signing with San Diego with a career slash of .294/.373/.493 along 133 homers; 30 of those coming in his final season with the Kiwoom Heroes. His rookie season didn’t go very well with the bat — more on that in a second — with a .602 OPS over 117 games, but he improved that OPS to .708 in his second campaign.
Kim’s best season by far in the majors was in 2023, however. He slashed .260/.351/.398 while hitting 17 homers, driving in 60 runs, and — most importantly to fantasy managers — stole 38 bases in 47 attempts in 152 games. He won a Gold Glove, and also finished 14th in MVP voting.
Unfortunately, the 2024 season didn’t come close to matching those numbers from an offensive perspective. He did steal 22 bases in his 121 games, but his OPS fell to .700 with 11 homers over 70 plate appearances. That season came to an early end, as Kim underwent labrum surgery on his right shoulder that sidelined him from August on.
Kim has shown flashes of brilliance with the bat, but hasn’t quite put it together over a full season at the highest level.
What about the defense?
Kim has been a fantastic defensive player throughout his career, and while it’s not the first thing fantasy managers think about when they envision adding a player, it does matter. It keeps him in the lineup, and the fact that he’s been worth over two wins in Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball-Reference — bWAR for short — in his three full seasons is something that can’t be ignored.
Are there things to like about the bat?
That being said, if Kim was a complete zero with the bat, we wouldn’t be writing this article. The best trait for the shortstop is his patience at the plate, and he’s walked in 12 percent of his at-bats in his last two seasons; a number that ranked him in the 96th percentile in 2024. As you might have guessed, that is largely due to him swinging at pitches outside of the zone at an exceptionally low rate with a chase rate in the 98th percentile at 18.6 percent.
And unlike most hitters who draw free passes, Kim does it with minimal swing-and-miss. He struck out just 77 times in 470 plate appearances last year, and his 16.1 percent whiff rate also ranked in the 92nd percentile. Add in well above-average speed and the ability to read pitchers, and Kim has a prototypical leadoff approach that should allow him to get on base, steal bags and score runs — assuming he’s playing behind a quality lineup, of course.
Where has Kim struggled?
It’s great that Kim draws walks and steals bases. It’s not so great that he has not been able to make hard contact on a consistent basis whatsoever. He averaged just 87.9 mph in his exit velocity, and his hard-hit percentage was a paltry 35.4. Those numbers are actually up from his 2023 season (86.2 mph, 26.7 percent hard-hit percentage), so while they show you that you can have success even if you don’t bash the baseball, it’s also hard to hit for huge power or a high-average when your posting those kind of metrics.
How will the Rays use Kim in 2025?
First, it’s worth noting that reports indicate that Kim will not be ready for the start of the season, and obviously that’s something fantasy managers will need to keep in mind when comparing him to similar players.
Once healthy, however, the Rays are obviously going to have someone making over eight figures in their everyday lineup. Kim has spent most of his career at shortstop, but he’s also played second and third base in his career. Before the trade, it looked like Tampa Bay would run out an infield of Junior Caminero at third, Taylor Walls at shortstop, Brandon Lowe at second and Yandy Diaz at first. Now, it seems likely that Kim takes over for Walls in that capacity, but it’s obviously possible a team like the Rays could be looking at moving a player like Lowe or Diaz. Either way, however, Kim is going to be starting when he’s healthy enough to play.
Where he fits in the lineup is another question. Kim makes sense in the leadoff spot, but they’ve used Yandy Diaz at the top of the lineup to considerable success over the last two years. He also could possibly hit at the bottom with a chance to get driven in by players like Diaz, Lowe and Christopher Morel — among others — but are the Rays going to pay Kim that kind of salary to play that kind of role? It seems unlikely, and I’d bet on Kim hitting first or second to begin the 2025 campaign.
Is Kim worth a roster spot in 2025?
I think so. Sure, there’s a good chance we’ve seen him tap out in terms of power, and because he makes so much weak contact, I don’t think he’s ever going to be able to hit for the kind of averages he did in the KBO. That being said, the ability to get on base and then swipe bags — and it’s definitely worth pointing out that the Rays stole the fourth-most bases in 2025 and are likely to be on the move again — while likely hitting at the top of a decent lineup makes him a player who can contribute in at least two categories. You probably don’t want Kim as your starting shortstop to open the season, but you can do a lot worse than him as your middle-infield option. The fact he has multi-positional value doesn’t hurt, either.
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