's departure from the Orioles as what proved to be a salary makeweight in the team's deal with the Philadelphia Phillies to bring in right-hander Jeremy Hellickson marks an ignominious end to a spell with the team that saw him idealized as the cure for the club's most glaring offensive ills.
As a contact hitter with a keen eye for the strike zone, Kim's $7 million arrival from the Korean Baseball Organization ahead of the 2016 season was what a particular subset of fans craved — a steady presence in a lineup full of swing-and-miss who would take a walk and keep things relatively stable.