Report: Bid from unnamed team accepted for Korean shortstop Kang

The Nexen Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization have reportedly accepted a bid from an unnamed major league team for shortstop Jung-Ho Kang.

Yoo Jee-Ho of Yonhap News Agency reports Kang's negotiating rights were secured by a winning bid worth $5 million - the second-highest bid for a Korean baseball player.

The unidentified team has 30 days to negotiate a deal with Kang, who's reportedly seeking a contract ranging from two years and $12 million to a four-year pact worth $5 million per season.

"I'd like to thank the Heroes and others who've helped me along the way so far," Kang said through the club, according to MLB.com. "I think this is only the beginning. As the first position player from Korea to be posted, I am excited about the challenges ahead and I am also feeling a strong sense of responsibility."

The 27-year-old infielder generated plenty of interest from MLB clubs after hitting .356 with 40 homers across 117 games in the hitter-friendly KBO last season. Scouts, however appear divided on how Kang's skill set will play in the majors - some see a shortstop with legitimate middle-of-the-order power, while others remain skeptical of his ability to defend the position at an elite level.

ESPN's Keith Law (Insider article) offers this glass-half-full assessment:

He's not as fleet afoot as you would want a shortstop to be, but he has good enough hands and gets good reads off the bat, making up for some deficiencies with a 60 (plus) arm. While MLB teams are probably looking for more pure range in their shortstops now, I'd give Kang every chance to show he can handle the position, especially given the scarcity in the middle infield in this free-agent crop.

The highest bid ever posted for a Korean baseball player was $25.7 million, paid out by the Los Angeles Dodgers for Hyun-Jin Ryu in 2012.