Kim Hyun-soo joining Orioles

By Nam Hyun-woo

This file photo shows Korean outfielder Kim Hyun-soo, who left for the United States on Thursday, amid reports that he clinched a two-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles totaling $7 million. / Yonhap

Left fielder Kim Hyun-soo will become the first Korean signed to a Major League Baseball (MLB) team as a free agent, with the 27-year-old having agreed to a two-year, $7 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles, according to reports Thursday.

Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reported that Kim, who departed for Washington, D.C. early Thursday, will undergo a physical exam in Baltimore this week before signing the contract. The club is yet to confirm the deal.

Other previous Korean athletes signing contracts for MLB teams reached the majors through the posting system, in which teams bid for the right to negotiate a contract with a player. Kim will likely sign as a free agent after spending nine full seasons in the KBO league to achieve international free agency.

Kim, who bats left and throws right, posted .326 with a .438 on-base percentage and a .541 slugging percentage in 141 appearances for the Doosan Bears’ impressive 2015 campaign, along with 28 homeruns 121 RBIs.

He is a career .318/.406/.488 hitter better known for his patience, drawing more walks (597) than strikeouts (501) in his career. He was also walked 101 times last season while striking out 63 times.

The Orioles have been focusing on filling an outfield hole by adding a left-handed batter and bolstering their woeful on-base percentage from this past season,

Orioles Executive Vice President Dan Duquette, who has long been tapping into the Asian market, is known to have initiated the deal. When he was the general manager for the Boston Red Sox, he signed three Korean pitchers -- Kim Sun-woo, Cho Jin-ho and Lee Sang-hoon. In 2013, the Orioles signed former KBO MVP Yoon Suk-min as a free agent, but he did not play in the majors.

The Sun reported that the Orioles have no set starting outfielder besides center fielder Adam Jones, so Kim could earn a starting role immediately, given that the Orioles’ lineup is heavy with right-handed batters.