Cody Snavely
The rich get richer as the Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly signed Korean infielder Hye-seong Kim to a 3-year, $12.5 million deal, with options that could extend it to a 5-year, $22 million deal.
Various South Korean media outlets initially reported the deal, which was confirmed by Daniel Kim of ESPN.
It was reported earlier today that the Dodgers were among five teams that had submitted offers to the Korean middle infielder, whose posting deadline is set for today at 2:00 PM PT. However, Kim’s market never gained steam, with MLB Trade Rumors projecting the 25-year-old infielder to get a 3-year, $24 million contract.
Kim is coming off arguably one of the best seasons of his career, in which he hit .326/.383/.458 over 567 plate appearances. Over his eight years in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Kim’s hit .304/.364/.403 with 150 doubles, thirty-nine triples, thirty-seven home runs, 386 RBI, 591 runs, and 211 stolen bases.
Kim, 25, will be entering his age 26 season and is primarily a second baseman but has also logged a decent amount of games at shortstop, third base, and both corner outfield spots, a true utilityman. While the KBO just created defensive awards two years ago, which Kim won in back-to-back seasons, he is also a three-time Golden Glove Award winner, which is awarded to the best overall players at each position, not a defensive award like the one in the United States.
It remains to be seen as to what role the Dodgers foresee Kim at. Currently, the Dodgers are yet again set to roll all-star Mookie Betts at shortstop again, according to Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes at this year’s Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas.
Currently, the Dodgers also have former top prospect Gavin Lux penciled in as the everyday second baseman, but with the lefty bat struggling to show consistency, the Dodgers could be looking to finally move on.
Lux’s name has also been mentioned in trade rumors this winter, the most recent being a potential Devin Williams trade before the Milwaukee Brewers shipped the closer to the New York Yankees last month.
With Kim’s versatility, perhaps the Dodgers see the KBO star as a plug-and-play guy rather than an everyday role at one position filling in all over the diamond. However, the Dodgers still have veteran infielder Miguel Rojas under contract after picking up his $3.5 million club option in November.
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