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The Los Angeles Dodgers may have made one of the most underrated offseason signings by bringing in Hyeseong Kim. The 25-year-old from Goyang-si, South Korea, agreed to a three-year, $12.5 million deal to join the reigning World Series champions, including team options for 2028 and 2029.
The talented infielder is as elite of a hitter as they come, posting a career .304 batting average over eight seasons in the KBO. It remains to be seen how much home run power Kim will bring to the Dodgers this upcoming season. However, his defensive versatility and ability to rack up hits will make him an asset to the NL favorites.
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Even though Kim has yet to line up in an MLB game, he has already developed relationships with some of his new teammates, with Shohei Ohtani being one of the most welcoming.
"I learned Japanese greetings, because Ohtani made an effort to speak to me in Korean," Hyeseong said of his new teammate taking the time to speaking in his mother tongue.
It will be interesting to see if Hyeseong Kim opts to learn more than just Japanese greetings and work on his English after making the jump to MLB. As the only Korean baseball player on the Dodgers roster, he may decide that working on the other languages of the club might help him get used to his new lifestyle.
Hyeseong Kim's flexibility should help bolster the Dodgers infield in 2025
It's tough to say that the Los Angeles Dodgers had many weaknesses in 2024 since they dominated their way to a title. However, their infield left something to be desired. While Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts were as strong as ever, the rest of the cast around them struggled to perform consistently.
With the departure of Gavin Lux to the Cincinnati Reds and the uncertain future of veterans such as Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor with the club, Hyeseong Kim could find himself with a significant role if his skills transfer to the Majors. He could prove to be a bargain for the already mighty Dodgers.
