Dodgers News: Newest Dodger Hyeseong Kim Reveals Why He Chose Dodgers
Yesterday at 02:48 PM
The Los Angeles Dodgers made quite the shocking signing last week when they inked Korean middle infielder Hyeseong Kim to a 3-year, $12.5 million deal, with options to extend it to a 5-year, $22 million deal.
Kim, 26, who was officially posted by The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization League in December, finally signed with a Major League team on the final day of his posting, and to most fans’ surprise, the KBO star picked the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Before the Lux trade, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ infield depth seemed to be the least of the organization’s worries, with Mookie Betts, Miguel Rojas, and Tommy Edman all capable of playing both middle infield positions.
With Lux now out of the picture it is now a good bet that Kim will get the opportunity to win the full-time starting second baseman job during spring training over the next three months.
However, according to Jeeho Yoo of Yonhap News Agency, the Korean infielder recently shared some interesting comments in an interview with his now ex-KBO team.
When asked why Kim chose the Dodgers over all other teams, including the Los Angeles Angels, who reportedly had a $28 million offer, Kim replied, “Well, they’re the Dodgers.”
Kim elaborated more, stating that the Dodgers are the defending 2024 World Series champions and that he was familiar with them, having watched Chan Ho Park and Hyun-Jin Ryu play there for so long.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, led by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and owned by Guggenheim Baseball Management, a multi-billion investment firm, have been heavily criticized by opposing fans for their luxurious spending over the last two off-seasons.
Those complaints are made even more vehement when players such as Kim sign for less money to play here or when multiple players such as Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, and Teoscar Hernández defer millions to play here.
But like Kim’s statement, one thing money can’t buy is recognition. As the great Jeff Passan puts it, the Dodgers system is easy to hate because it’s exactly what all teams should be doing.
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