One year after landing two-way stud Shohei Ohtani and fellow Japanese superstar Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Los Angeles Dodgers are acquiring another talent from the Far East.
The Dodgers announced on Friday that they’d agreed to a three-year, $12.5 million contract with utility player Hyeseong Kim. The 25-year-old South Korean’s deal comes with a two-year club option for 2028 and 2029.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was among the first to report the news, noting that Los Angeles has said over the offseason that they are “going with the plan” of having former AL MVP Mookie Betts as their starting shortstop in 2025 and 27-year-old former first-round pick Gavin Lux continue as the primary second baseman.
“The plan with Kim, a source said, is for him to fill a super utility role. Has played a lot up the middle in KBO,” Ardaya posted on social media.
With Betts and Lux expecting to man the middle infield positions and the three-time Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) Golden Glove Award winner filling the utility role, one-time All-Star and former NLCS MVP Chris Taylor’s days with the Dodgers could be numbered.
Taylor Has Played 6 Positions During 8-Year Run With Dodgers
Taylor is entering the final season of his four-year, $60 million contract with Los Angeles.
The 34-year-old was traded to the Dodgers in June 2016 after spending the first two-plus seasons with the Seattle Mariners but playing in only 86 games. Taylor helped Los Angeles reach the World Series in 2017, winning NLCS MVP honors that fall, but has shown his most value through his versatility in the field.
He’s played in 979 regular season contests with the Dodgers and suited up at every position except catcher, pitcher and first base, with at least 100 appearances at second base (159), shortstop (214), left field (362) and center field (209). Taylor’s manned the hot corner 90 times and played in right on 21 occasions.
He earned his only career All-Star nod in 2021, finishing that season with a career-high 73 RBI, as well as 20 home runs and 13 stolen bases.
What Will Kim Bring to Dodgers?
Kim played 127 games with the Kiwoom Heroes in 2024, recording career highs in home runs (11) and RBI (75) while slashing .326/.383/.458. Senior baseball writer Keith Law of The Athletic ranked Kim 41st on his list of baseball’s top 50 free agents this offseason, just behind 29-year-old third baseman Yoan Moncada, but ahead of the likes of infielder Jose Iglesias and closer Paul Sewald.
“He’s still a hit-over-power guy, striking out just 11 percent of the time this past year but with a huge groundball rate of 60 percent. He might be able to add some strength, but to be more than an extra guy he has to start elevating the ball a lot more,” Law wrote.
Kim would seem to be coming to the defending World Series champions as a direct Taylor replacement, though while the latter’s best years are almost certainly behind him, the former should be entering his prime.
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Dodgers Ink Top KBO Talent, Potentially Signaling End to Former All-Star’s Tenure