176.6 billion in income thanks to Ohtani, so Kim Hye-sung too? Media analyzed the reason for the Dodgers' surprise investment
Jan 05, 2025
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The U.S. media is paying keen attention to Kim Hye-sung (26), who signed a surprise contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers announced on the 4th (Korea time) that they have agreed to pay up to $22 million (about 32.3 billion won) with Kim Hye-sung if he is guaranteed three years and $12.5 million (about 18.4 billion won) and the club's option to extend the two-year contract between 2028 and 2029 is triggered. The Dodgers selected Mookie Betts (33) as the main shortstop this season, and the second baseman is envisioned as Gavin Lux (28). Although there are question marks over Lux's defense capabilities, the backup base such as Tommy Edman (29), Chris Taylor (35), and Miguel Rojas (36) is also solid, and the question of 'Why did he sign Kim Hye-sung?' continues to be asked.
Mike Majeo of the U.S. media 『Sports Business Journal』 cited the effect of recruiting Ohtani. Last year, the Dodgers enjoyed a tremendous effect when they successfully signed a 10-year, historic contract with Ohtani worth $700 million (about 1.304 trillion won). First of all, he wore the World Series championship ring in his first year as Ohtani, and he also received a considerable amount of extra income from sponsorship contracts with Japanese companies.
Former Major League Baseball catcher AJ Piedzinski quotes sources in his personal broadcast: "Juss earned an additional $120 million from the sideline income under the Otani contract," it said.
After the announcement of Kim Hye-sung's contract on the 4th, Mazeo posted on his SNS page, "(Dodgers signed sponsorship contracts with 12 new Japanese companies when Ohtani was recruited last season. The contract with Kim Hye-sung will lead to more opportunities for sponsorship with Korean companies. Los Angeles has a significant Korean population.
Looking at the scale alone, it is difficult to simply compare the contract value of Ohtani and Kim Hye-sung. Ohtani was already a world star beyond Japan before signing with the Dodgers, and Kim Hye-sung is just making his first major league debut. It will be difficult for the Dodgers to expect a huge additional income like Ohtani, but anyway, having a Korean player can easily push for sponsorship contracts with Korean companies. The Dodgers are still popular with domestic baseball fans as they are a team of pitchers Ryu Hyun-jin (38, Hanwha Eagles) and Park Chan-ho (52, retired). Mazeo believed that the Dodgers once again showed a willingness to expand their foothold in the Korean market by recruiting Kim Hye-sung.
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The first time the Dodgers publicly expressed their interest in Kim Hye-sung was in March last year. At that time, the Dodgers played a warm-up match against 'Team Korea' before playing the opening series against the San Diego Padres in Seoul. Team Korea convened domestic prospects comparable to the national team, and Kim Hye-sung was included, of course. Kim Hye-sung impressed the Dodgers front and manager Dave Roberts by losing a long shot to Dodgers fastball pitcher Bobby Miller (26) and showing off his defensive stability.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said, `I think we've got a really talented player, and we'll see how we'll use it. I don't know if you noticed how much we struggled with injuries last year, but having a player who can cover various positions really helps a lot. Kim Hye-sung showed outstanding athletic ability and explosive power in the Seoul Series warm-up match. He is very fast on his feet, has good defense in various positions, and has advantages in hitting, he said, indicating that he did not recruit him simply as a backup.
The Athletic, a U.S. media outlet, said 'Kim Hye-sung was ranked 41st among the top 50 FA players. The second baseman hit .326 with an on-base percentage of 0.383, a slugging percentage of 0.458, 11 homers, 75 RBIs and 30 steals for the Kiwoom Heroes, a KBO league team, last year. The Dodgers said they are looking at Kim Hye-sung as a super utility.
Kim Hye-sung had a batting average of 0.304 (1,043 hits in 3,433 at-bats), 37 homers, 386 RBIs, 211 steals, and 591 runs in 953 KBO games. He won both shortstop and second baseman Golden Glove for the first time in KBO history, and held the Golden Glove for four consecutive years from 2021 to last year. He has even contact ability, fast feet, and defense, but one long shot remains a big disappointment. Kim Ha-sung (30), who had 30 home runs this season in the KBO League, only hit eight home runs and early batting average in 2021, the first year he moved to the San Diego Padres, so there are voices of concern. Will Kim Hye-sung be able to put these concerns behind him and prove his value in the big leagues and create a Dodgers boom in Korea once again.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
