The San Diego Padres have agreed to a $13 million contract with Korean right-hander Song Sung-mun, the club's latest move to backfill rotation depth after losing Blake Snell and Josh Hader in recent offseasons. Song, 28, posted a 3.18 ERA across 162 innings with the KT Wiz in the Korea Baseball Organization last season, striking out 144 while walking 41. The deal includes performance bonuses tied to major-league starts and a club option for 2027.
Song becomes San Diego's third Korean player signed since October 2023, following utility man Kim Ha-seong ($28 million over four years in 2021, now a mid-market starter) and outfielder Choi Ji-hwan, who washed out of Triple-A last summer. The Padres have leaned into the KBO pipeline as a cost hedge against the luxury tax, which they crossed for the first time in franchise history in 2023. Song's deal is structured to land him in Triple-El Paso by late April, with a mid-May callup window if Dylan Cease or Yu Darvish miss starts.
The contract reflects San Diego's recalibrated approach under Peter Seidler's estate trustees, who took operational control in November after the owner's death. The club has trimmed $47 million in payroll since last August, non-tendering reliever Tim Hill and trading Juan Soto in the process. Song's signing fits the new calculus: international pitchers with sub-$15 million commitments who can eat innings if the $250 million core stays healthy. The Padres open 2025 with five starters under contract but only three—Darvish, Cease, and Joe Musgrove—with multi-year clarity. Song slots in as injury cover and a 2026 depth piece if the team declines Musgrove's $20 million club option next winter.
The KBO-to-MLB translation remains volatile. Song's fastball sits 91-93 mph with a splitter that generated a 34% whiff rate in Korea, but his command metrics in the KBO ranked 48th among qualified starters last season. American scouts who saw him in September noted he works quickly and handles lefties cleanly, two traits the Padres value after watching Chris Paddack and Adrian Morejon struggle with pace. The downside: Song has never faced hitters who can lay off the splitter low, and his changeup is rudimentary. If he falters, the Padres retain flexibility to release him without luxury-tax penalty, though the signing bonus—believed to be $4 million upfront—is guaranteed.
What to watch: Song reports to spring training on February 17. If he clears visa paperwork, he'll pitch in Cactus League games by late February, with his Triple-A assignment formalized by March 20. The Padres have a rotation decision to make by April 10, when Musgrove is eligible to return from a shoulder tweak. If Song opens in El Paso, his callup hinges on whether San Diego stays within $10 million of the luxury tax by mid-May; a surprise Darvish DL stint could accelerate the timeline. Separately, the club is still shopping outfielder Trent Grisham, whose departure would create $5 million in breathing room and signal the front office expects Song to contribute before June.
The Padres play their home opener on March 28 against the Dodgers. Song will not be on the roster unless two starters are injured in Arizona.