Mets, Athletics, Giants among teams expected to pursue Jung-Ho Kang

Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang is expected to be posted by the Nexen Heroes in the next week and the potential market for him is starting to become a little clearer. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reports that the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants are all expected to be among the teams interested.

Kang’s situation is unique. The KBO has yet to adopt the newer posting system that Japanese clubs operate within, wherein maximum bids are capped at $20 million and the player ultimately has a little more freedom in his final destination. Under the old system it’s simply a matter of which team bids the highest will be awarded the rights to negotiate with Kang, provided that Nexen accepts the posting bid.

The 27 year old had a spectacular season – on paper – this past year, batting .354/.457/.733 with 39 home runs in 116 games. The league is an offensive haven for batters, so the numbers tend to be a little inflated but nonetheless they are still impressive. Questions remain, however, how his bat will translate to the major leagues.

The other concern is also where he ends up playing. Kang was initially a second baseman who converted to shortstop, but coming stateside he could end up at a number of positions. The A’s would presumably keep him at shortstop. The Giants could use him at third to replace Pablo Sandoval. Heyman notes that the team could also move Joe Panik over to third and slot in Kang at second.

The Mets would also likely use him at shortstop, but their level of interest appears to be a little less-serious than that of others. GM Sandy Alderson indicated to reporters, including ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin, that the team’s payroll isn’t likely to rise from its current point. An outside addition would likely have to come in conjunction with another move to shed some payroll.