The final destination of Kim Hye-seong (26, LA Dodgers), who spent a month posting after announcing her challenge to the Major League, was the LA Dodgers. The LA Dodgers, one of the most prestigious teams in the Major League and the winner of the 2024 World Series, successfully recruited Kim after giving high marks to Kim. You can feel the favorable view of major league clubs toward Kim.토토사이트

The Dodgers officially announced on the 4th (Korea time) that it signed a three-year, $12.5 million contract with Kim Hye-sung, who is challenging the Major League through a posting system (closed competitive bidding). The Dodgers immediately included Kim Hye-sung on the 40-man roster. Kim Hye-sung is guaranteed $12.5 million for three years including a down payment ($1 million), annual salary, and buyout. The Dodgers have team options for Kim Hye-sung in 2028 and 2029, and incentives for the number of at-bats in 2028 and 2029, respectively. If all of these contracts are fulfilled, it will be a three-plus-year contract worth a total of $22 million.

In addition to the Dodgers, Kim reportedly negotiated with the Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. Although she did not expect a large contract worth 100 million U.S. dollars in the first place, quite heated negotiations took place behind the scenes. After agonizing until the end, Kim finally held the hands of the Dodgers about three hours before the deadline.

Kim reportedly considered all aspects of the team, including environment and living conditions, rather than amount of money. We are familiar with the Dodgers as it is played by Park Chan-ho, Choi Hee-sup, and Seo Jae-ung. It is a prestigious baseball team that has the power, money, and commitment to win the title every year. Also, the city of Los Angeles is home to the largest Korean community in the U.S. The weather is nice and comfortable to live in.

However, in terms of competition, the Dodgers may not be a very good team. The Los Angeles Angels, which are known to have offered as much money as the Dodgers, should consider all the conditions, but it was also a more convenient environment for the Los Angeles Angels to play as the starting pitcher. On the other hand, the team seems to be somewhat surprised. The Dodgers already have some infield and fielding power. Although 12.5 million dollars for three years is not a big deal for a team like the Dodgers, some people are wondering why they invested the money in another utility player.

However, there are many opinions that the recruitment of Kim Hye-sung will definitely help the Dodgers. Ken Rosenthal, a columnist for the North American sports media "The Athletic" and one of the major sources in the Major League, dealt with Kim Hye-sung's transfer during an appearance on MLB Network on the 5th (Korea time). Rosenthal covered a wide range of relationships between the Dodgers and Kim Hye-sung, areas where Kim Hye-sung can contribute to the team, and future scenarios.

Rosenthal has memories of coming to Seoul to cover the Seoul Series of the Major League World Tour in March 2024. At that time, he needed a warm-up opponent ahead of the Seoul Series, and one of them was the Korean national baseball team, Team Korea. Kim Hye-sung, one of the best second basemen in the KBO League, also joined the list and played against the Dodgers, and received the spotlight by hitting a powerful double off fastball pitcher Bobby Miller.

Rosenthal recalled, "I remember the LA Dodgers confronting Kim Hye-sung in March 2024. They played a friendly match against the Dodgers and Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome ahead of the Seoul Series." Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said at the time that he was impressed by Kim, adding that Dodgers scouts are also watching him. Kim Hye-sung became a member of the LA Dodgers in January 2025," expressing interest in the relationship.

Rosenthal said of Kim, "I have a three-year guarantee of $12.5 million. I think Kim can be a high-and-utility player because he can play both at second base and shortstop," adding, "As we all know, the Dodgers invest in versatility. Tommy Edman provides the center of the diamond (center field, second baseman, and shortstop), and they relied on Kiké Hernández for a long time."

Rosenthal said, "Now that Kieke is a free agent, Kim Hye-sung is a very good fit for Dodgers for various reasons," adding, "Recruiting one more versatile player can definitely open up additional opportunities for Dodgers. Trading Gavin Lux is also their choice."

As Rosenthal said, the Dodgers realized the importance of utility players early on and spared no investment. There were many super utility players who could see both the infield and the outfield, not just utility players. Key players are Kike Hernandez, who was in his prime with the Dodgers from 2015 to 2020, and Chris Taylor, who has been playing since 2016.

Cicke Hernandez is a Major League Baseball outfielder (center field, left fielder, right fielder) who has played 3,817 ⅔ innings, 1956 ⅔ innings as a second baseman, 1,228 ⅔ innings as a shortstop, and 781 ⅔ innings as a third baseman. He has even played 217 ⅓. Taylor also played 2,217 innings as a shortstop, 1,077 ⅓ as a second baseman, 506 ⅓ as a third baseman, and 3,954 ⅓ as an outfielder. The Dodgers valued the talents of the two players extremely, and Taylor signed a four-year, 60-million-dollar contract despite not being special in offense.

In such a situation, Kim Hye-sung cannot be said to be a player who was in a very urgent need of the Dodgers right now. Gavin Lux is the main second baseman, and veteran Miguel Rojas is the backup to second base and shortstop.