Hyeseong Kim signs with Dodgers for 3 years, $12.5 million

The Dodgers signed the 25-year-old Korean Baseball Organization middle infielder for three years with a two-year team option at an additional $9.5 million. Accordingly, former top prospect Diego Cartaya was designated for assignment.

On December 4, the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), Seoul-based Kiwoom Heroes, posted standout middle infielder (and occasional outfielder) Hyesong Kim. Kim, who is no relation to Ha-Seong Kim — a former teammate in the KBO, most recently of the San Diego Padres, had until 2 p.m. Pacific time on January 3 to sign with an MLB team.

The Dodgers had not been linked to Kim publicly before January 3. If anything, the scuttlebutt was that the Seattle Mariners, the Anaheim Angels, or the Atlanta Braves were the probable destinations for Kim. Reporting indicated that the Angels, Mariners, Chicago Cubs, and Padres made offers to Kim.

However, around noon on January 3, South Korea and the United States outlets announced that Hyesong Kim was coming to the Dodgers.

Kim’s guaranteed salary is $12.5 million over three years. The deal also includes a two-year club option for an additional $9.5 million. The Dodgers will owe the Heroes $2.5 million as a release fee.

The Dodgers announced the signing and needed to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate it. Accordingly, Jack Harris and Bill Shaikin reported separately that the Dodgers would designate former top prospect Diego Cartaya for assignment.

Hyeseong Kim will turn 26 in late January. He played eight seasons in South Korea, the last six with Kiwoom. Last year, he had a career year, hitting .326/.383/.458 with 11 home runs and 30 stolen bases (out of 36 attempts). He had a 10.9% K-rate, an 8.3% walk rate, and a 118 wRC+.

With Kiwoom over six seasons, Kim hit .309 with 32 home runs and 339 RBI.

Over the last four seasons, Kim hit for average (.326) and got on-base (.384 OBP). Kim hit a career-high in home runs in 2024, but he averaged 5.25 home runs/per season from 2020 to 2023.

Kim has stolen at least 20 bases a year in every full season in KBO, averaging just over 30 steals a season with a career-high of 46 in 2021. Kim’s 2021 steal total led KBO that year.

Kim is a four-time consecutive KBO Golden Glove award winner, winning for the last three years at second base and in 2021 at shortstop. Kim is certainly handy with the leather.

Kim was also part of the 2022 Asian Games, winning the Gold Medal on the South Korean team with a .292/.500/.370 slash line.

According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, with the Dodgers, Kim will play in a super-utility role, with Mookie Betts as the everyday shortstop and Gavin Lux as the everyday second baseman.

The biggest question for Kim going forward will be whether he can translate his contact-heavy offensive game to MLB. No one should reasonably expect Kim to continue his power stroke after his career year in a new league.

In comparison, Kim’s former teammate Ha-Seong Kim was a power threat in Korea, hitting 30 home runs in his final season in KBO. Ha-Seong Kim has averaged just under 12 home runs per season while playing in MLB.

At worst, the Dodgers obtained a low-cost, glove- and speed-heavy utility infielder. At best, they have found a younger, cheaper, faster Korean version of Miguel Rojas, who would provide a different type of offensive threat in the lineup.

Like Teoscar Hernández, whose signing also became official on January 3, reporting indicates that Kim took less money and fewer years to play with the Dodgers, as Shohei Ohtani met with Kim and gave him advice before the signing.

What Kim’s signing means for Gavin Lux and Chris Taylor is an open question for another day. That said, reporting after the exhibition games before the Seoul Series showed that the Dodgers clearly saw something in Hyeseong Kim.

“Our scouts like the second baseman: just the way his body moves. There’s some life to the bat and defensively (he) made a nice play out there,” [Dave] Roberts said. “There’s good baseball players all over the world and so this is just another chance for us to see them and for them to match themselves against us.”

After the Hernández press conference, General Manager Brandon Gomes reiterated this position while confirming the preliminary plans for Kim in 2025.

It will be interesting to see how well Kim acclimates to MLB. Whether the Dodgers are done with international signings this month will likely be answered between January 15 and January 23.