Pirates sign Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang to long-term deal

Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang is on his way to Pittsburgh to finalize a four-year contract worth $16 million with the Pirates. The deal was first reported by Jim Bowden of ESPN.com and is pending a physical.

Ranked as the 33rd best player on Jeff Passan’s Ultimate Free-Agent Tracker, Kang crushed the Korean Baseball Organization last season, hitting 356/.459/.739 with 40 home runs in 116 games for the Seoul-based Nexen Heroes. The Pirates paid a posting fee of just over $5 million to ensure exclusive negotiating rights with the 27-year-old, who played shortstop for Nexen. They were awarded those rights on Dec. 22, giving the two sides 30 days to hammer out an agreement.

It remains to be seen where Kang fits in Pittsburgh’s infield plans. There are questions about his defense and there’s a chance he is moved away from shortstop. The Pirates currently have Jordy Mercer at short, Josh Harrison at third base and Neil Walker at second. Harrison and Walker are coming off career years at the plate while Mercer is a solid glove.

It’ll also be interesting to monitor how Kang fares against major league arms. The Korean league has been described as a “a hitter-friendly version of Double-A” and there’s no telling how Kang will transition to the big leagues.

Ultimately though, this move gives Pittsburgh some much needed depth and is reasonable financially. The hope is that Kang settles in quickly and can be a contributor for the Pirates as they shoot to make the postseason for a third consecutive season.

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Israel Fehr is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr