Kiwoom Heroes Second Baseman Kim Hye-seong speaks after accepting the trophy as the winner of the second base position at the Korea Baseball Organization Fielding Award during the awards ceremony at Lotte Hotel World in Seoul, Nov. 26. Yonhap

The market for the posted Korean infielder Kim Hye-seong has been quiet since he was made available for all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs earlier this month, with his signing window set to close this week.

After the 2024 season with the Kiwoom Heroes in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Kim was posted for MLB clubs on Dec. 4. Based on an agreement between the two leagues, KBO players posted for MLB teams must sign within a 30-day negotiating period or must stay put in the Korean league for another season.

Kim has until 5 p.m. Friday in Eastern Time to land a big league deal, or 7 a.m. Saturday in Korea.

If not, he may not be posted again until Nov. 1, 2025. But Kim will become a free agent after another season in the KBO and won't need to be posted next year to try to reach the majors.

Kim left for Los Angeles on Nov. 29 to prepare for the posting process while training at a facility set up for him by his American agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), but he returned home on Dec. 23 without a deal in tow. And there hadn't been much buzz surrounding the 25-year-old during his time in the United States.

An official with the Heroes said Kim was forced to return because of his military status.

Kim Hye-seong, Kiwoom Heroes player, left, celebrates with Jeon Byeong-woo, Kiwoom Heroes player, right, after wining a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, Sep. 8. Yonhap

Kim, who received his military service exemption by winning the 2023 Asian Games gold medal, finished his three-week basic training program in November and must now complete 544 hours of community service over a 34-month period in exchange for exemption from active duty. Until then, athletes in Kim's situation are only allowed to stay overseas for so long at a time.

The Heroes official added Kim had not abandoned his hopes of landing with a major league team and that CAA is believed to be negotiating with multiple clubs.

The Seattle Mariners, the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants are considered potential landing spots for Kim.

Kim enjoyed a productive 2024 season, establishing career highs with 11 home runs, 75 RBIs and a .458 slugging percentage. Kim batted .326 for his fourth consecutive .300 season and swiped 30 bags, his seventh consecutive year with at least 20 steals.

Kim, who made his KBO debut in 2017 and became a regular the following year, has a career batting line of .306/.364/.403 with 211 steals -- the most in the KBO since 2018.

He has long been known for his excellent defense. He won the inaugural KBO Fielding Award at second base last year and repeated as the winner this year, and had been one of the league's top defenders statistically before the creation of the award.

Though primarily second baseman, Kim can also handle shortstop and third base. In 2021, he was the Heroes' primary shortstop, after their shortstop, Kim Ha-seong, had signed with the Padres.

KBO teams receive a "release fee" for losing a player to MLB through posting, and the amount will depend on the guaranteed portion of the player's contract.

According to the KBO, the fee is 20 percent of the first US$25 million and 17.5 percent of the amount exceeding the next $25 million. If a player signs for over $50 million, then his former KBO team will receive 20 percent of the first $25 million ($5 million) and 17.5 percent of the next $25 million ($4,375,000), plus 15 percent of the amount exceeding $50 million. (Yonhap)