Song Sung-moon signs $15 million deal with Padres

Local media reported that Song Sung-moon, a 29-year-old infielder who played this season for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization, is poised to don a San Diego uniform. If the report proves accurate, three players developed by Kiwoom would square off next season in Major League Baseball’s National League West, an unusual convergence for a single KBO franchise.

According to local outlets, including the San Diego Union-Tribune on the 21st, Song has agreed to join the San Diego Padres on a three-year contract guaranteed at $15 million, or about 22.1 billion won. Padres general manager A.J. Preller said Song has become “a different-level player” over the past two years, citing his strong run production and positional versatility. Pending a successful medical examination and final approval of the contract, Song is expected to contend for the NL West title against former Kiwoom teammates Lee Jung-hoo, 27, now with the San Francisco Giants, and Kim Hye-seong, 26, of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

If he appears in a Major League Baseball game, Song would become the sixth player developed by the Kiwoom Heroes to reach the majors, following Kang Jung-ho, 38, retired, Park Byung-ho, 39, retired, Kim Ha-seong, 30, of the Atlanta Braves, Lee Jung-hoo, and Kim Hye-seong. Song would also be the second former Kiwoom player to sign with the San Diego Padres, following Kim. Kim joined San Diego in 2021 on a four-year, $28 million contract, worth about 41.4 billion won, and earned the National League Gold Glove at the utility position in 2023 while with the club.

Song posted a .315 batting average with 26 home runs, 90 RBIs and 25 stolen bases this season, a performance that earned him the KBO Golden Glove at third base. However, San Diego’s third base job is firmly held by Manny Machado, 33, making second base a more likely path to playing time. Song has appeared in 194 games at second base, including 25 this season, compared with 548 games at third base, underscoring his defensive versatility.

If Song’s agreement with the Padres is finalized, the six-year, 12-billion-won multiyear contract he signed with the Kiwoom Heroes last August as a non-free agent would automatically be voided. At the time, the deal set a KBO record as the largest contract ever awarded to a non-free agent position player. The agreement was conditional and designed to take effect only if Song failed to secure a move to Major League Baseball through the posting system, a sealed-bid process, following the conclusion of this season.

Under the posting arrangement, Kiwoom will receive a fee equal to 20 percent of the guaranteed amount in Song’s MLB contract. If the deal is finalized at $15 million, the club would collect $3 million, or about 4.4 billion won. That sum exceeds the combined salaries of Kiwoom’s top 40 players this year, which totaled approximately 4.39756 billion won, underscoring the financial significance of the transfer for the KBO club.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com