The San Diego Padres signed right-handed pitcher Song Sung-mun to a $13 million contract, the team announced Thursday. Song, 29, posted a 3.18 ERA across 67 appearances for the Kia Tigers last season, working primarily in high-leverage seventh- and eighth-inning situations. The deal includes a two-year guarantee with a club option for 2027 at $7 million.
Song struck out 82 batters in 79.1 innings while holding KBO hitters to a .231 batting average. He throws a low-to-mid-90s fastball with a slider that generated a 38% whiff rate in his final 40 outings. The Padres' front office watched him work three postseason games in October, including 2.2 scoreless frames against the Samsung Lions in the Korean Series. Song allowed one run across six playoff innings. General manager A.J. Preller flew to Seoul in November and met Song's representation at a Gangnam office tower the week after the World Series.
This is the Padres' third signing from the Korea Baseball Organization since 2022, following infielder Kim Ha-seong ($28 million, four years) and outfielder Jung Hoo-lee's short training camp stint before his Giants move. The club now carries four South Korean players on its 40-man roster, the most in franchise history. That concentration matters because the Padres are 90 days from renegotiating a local television package worth an estimated $200 million over eight years. League sources say the team has held preliminary discussions with two Seoul-based sponsors about jersey patch rights priced near $12 million annually, contingent on rostered Korean talent. Song's deal keeps that pipeline visible while Kim's extension talks stall at $80 million over five seasons.
The signing also reshapes San Diego's bullpen math. The Padres entered the offseason with $48 million committed to four relievers, then non-tendered right-hander Tim Hill in November to clear $4.2 million. Song's $6.5 million average annual value slots below setup man Robert Suarez ($9 million) but above swingman Nick Martinez ($5.8 million). The front office projects Song for 70 appearances, targeting matchups against right-handed hitters in tied or one-run games from the sixth inning forward. His splitter—thrown 24% of the time last year—grades as an above-average third pitch against MLB fastball velocity, per internal TrackMan comps reviewed during his December showcase at the Padres' Peoria complex.
Song arrives with the Padres sitting $22 million below the luxury tax threshold and Preller facing pressure to add rotation depth after losing two starters to free agency. The GM told local reporters in December the team would pursue "creative international solutions" rather than overpay for mid-tier domestic arms. Song's KBO track record carries risk—his career 1.34 WHIP suggests pedestrian command—but the Padres are betting his slider velocity jump from 84 mph to 87 mph last summer translates against wooden bats.
The Padres open Grapefruit League play February 22 against the Mariners. Song is expected to report to camp February 12, two days after Kim Ha-seong's arbitration hearing in Phoenix. If Kim's case reaches settlement before the hearing, the team will have approximately $18 million in remaining payroll flexibility before hitting the tax line. Seoul-based sports marketing firm ISM Group, which brokered introductions between the Padres and three Korean companies last fall, is scheduled to visit Petco Park during the season's first homestand in late March. Song will throw his first bullpen session under pitching coach Ruben Niebla on February 14.