I’ll cut the suspense: No.
The rumored deal is a 4-year pack with a 5th year option. The 4 years are about 16 million, so with the posting fee, the deal is for 21 million.
If Kang has a fantastic transition into the majors, then this deal will look like steal for the Pirates. However, if he doesn’t pan out, not only is this deal expensive, it’s long.
For a while I was overhyping Kang in my mind because of his KBO numbers, which are phenomenal. Every time I think about KBO numbers now, I think about Felix Pie. In six seasons, he hit .246 in the majors with a .295 OBP and a .369 SLG. Last year in the KBO he hit .324 BA, .373 OBP and a .524 SLG. He crushed 17 homers last year, a number he barely sniffed in the minors in America.
Now that the deal for Kang is done, I’m glad the Mets don’t have a question market on their roster for the next four years. I still want the Mets to upgrade at shortstop but right now, I don’t see Kang as an upgrade over Flores and this deal isn’t worth it if other shortstops make it to the market this offseason (or if the Mets can make a surprise trade).
