Thursday was a good day to be a San Diego Padres fan.
Aside from re-upping front-line starting pitcher Michael King, San Diego also added star Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song on a three-year, $13 million contract Thursday.
King agreed to terms on a three-year contract worth $75 million that keeps him in San Diego through 2028. The righty was part of the marquee return when the Padres traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees two years ago.
King is 18-12 with a 3.10 ERA in two seasons with the Padres and is coming off an injury-plagued campaign where he went 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA and one shutout in 73 1/3 innings for San Diego.
Sung-Mun Song Was A Highly Sought-After Infielder
Song will turn 30 in August, and it is hard to say exactly how he will translate to playing at the highest level. But the Padres still landed a marquee free agent in the Korean-born Song.
Song slashed .315/.387/.530 with 26 home runs and 90 RBIs in 144 games for the Kiwoom of the KBO last season, mainly playing third base (111 games) but also playing second.
“Songâs fit in San Diego is uncertain — and it might not become entirely clear until after general manager A.J. Preller is done with his offseason maneuvering,” AJ Cassavell of MLB.com wrote. “As things stand, the Padres have an opening at first base. But Song has only played there minimally, having spent much more time at second and third.”
The Padres, of course, have Manny Machado as their everyday third baseman, Xander Bogaerts playing every day at shortstop and Jake Cronenworth as their main second baseman. But international MLB reporter Francys Romero reported Song could remind Padres fans of one of their most popular recent players.
“One scout rates his talent between Ha-Seong Kim and Hye-Seong Kim, closer to Ha-Seong Kim but with less power and defensive skills,” Romero posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The Padres Aren’t Done Dealing
Cassavell noted how the four infielders could mesh and will give manager Craig Stammen a bit of flexibility with his infield manuevering.
“Thereâs some flexibility in the San Diego infield, with Jake Cronenworth capable of sliding from second base to first,” he wrote. “Meanwhile, with an aging Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts on the left side, Songâs presence gives the Padres the option of giving one a DH day or an off-day.
“Song could theoretically play third when Machado rests. Or the versatile Cronenworth could play short for Bogaerts, with Song at second.”
The Padres did win 90 games and reached the postseason last year, falling to the Chicago Cubs in the NL Wild Card Series. But it is getting late in both Bogaerts and Machado’s primes, and the two-time-reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers are up the road, which means the Padres are likely to keep tinkering to upgrade their roster, likely via trade.
“Cronenworth himself has been mentioned in trade rumors, so itâs possible Song ends up as a like-for-like replacement — a versatile left-handed-hitting infielder and primary second baseman,” Cassavell wrote. “That would leave the Padres still searching at first base. But first basemen are generally easier to find.”
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