The Mets could use a shortstop, and the Korean power hitter will hit the market soon.
Korean shortstop Jung-Ho Kang will be posted on Monday, according to Ken Rosenthal. The news comes as no surprise, as the expectation was that Kang would hit the market. Earlier this week, Jon Heyman reported that the Mets are interested in the 27-year-old.
Here's some of what Steve Sypa had to say about Kang in his profile of the shortstop back in September:
Ultimately, regardless of how you feel about his ability to translate his success to American baseball, the biggest hurdle will likely be the financial aspect of signing Kang. It's hard to gauge how much Kang might be posted for, but it would not be surprising to see him command a fee in the $5 to $15 million range. In addition to paying Nexen that fee, the club would have to negotiate a contract with Kang. Nick Cafardo predicts that Kang would be due some "serious money" this offseason, but does not make clear whether that is his personal opinion or that of scouts who have seen the shortstop. As such, it's hard to gauge how much a team might value the right-hander.