The Pittsburgh Pirates won exclusive rights to negotiate a contract with Korean slugging shortstop Jung-Ho Kang, and it now appears that a deal is imminent. If the deal is completed, Pittsburgh will have gotten a power-hitting shortstop that should help boost their occasionally anemic offense.
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According to Fox Sports, Kang and the Pirates are close to terms on a four-year deal, and both sides are eager to finalize the contract. It was thought heading into the negotiations that Kang was looking for around $5 million per year, and based on Pittsburgh's aggressive pursuit of signing him, they seem comfortable with a number in that range.
Pittsburgh already won the rights to negotiate with Kang by posting the highest bidding fee for those rights. If they do sign the shortstop, they will have to pay the $5,002,015 bid fee that they submitted. If for some reason they do not sign Kang, they will not be required to pay that fee.
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Kang's agent seemed to think everything was moving in the right direction. "At this point, I feel confident we'll come to an agreement. The process has been very positive."
It is not known at this time whether Pittsburgh plans to play Kang at shortstop or if they will move him to a new spot on the field since last year's shortstop, Jordy Mercer, is still with the team. The Pirates have not yet extended the contract of second baseman Neil Walker, so perhaps Kang will be slotted in on the right side of the infield.
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