The Dodgers invested 18.2 billion won and surprised the 1R trade, and this is all because of Kim Hye-sung
Jan 07, 2025
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Jeff Bankruptcy, a reporter for the U.S. media 'ESPN', reported on the 7th (Korea time) that Lux, a second baseman and outfielder, was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati is known to give the Dodgers a draft pick and Mike Cirota (22), a prospect in the outfield, while receiving luxe.
Since the Dodgers recruited Kim Hye-sung on the 4th, the U.S. media has pointed out the infield saturation. The main Keystone duo has shortstop Mookie Betts (33) and second baseman Lux, and there are many outstanding players such as Tommy Edman (29), Chris Taylor (35) and Miguel Rojas (36) as backup, but Kim Hye-sung was recruited. Kim Hye-sung also added a cold prospect that it will be difficult to open as a main player.
The scale of the contract was reasonable. The Dodgers gave Kim Hye-sung a contract that guarantees a total of $12.5 million (about 18.2 billion won) per year and receives up to $22 million (about 32 billion won) if he invokes the club's option to extend the two-year contract between 2028 and 2029. It is difficult to say that the main player is guaranteed just by looking at the size of the contract, but the Dodgers are a club that spends a huge amount of money on the team, spending 700 million dollars (about 1.212 trillion won) for 10 years on only one 31-year Shohei Ohtani. In the ransom ranking, Kim Hye-sung had no choice but to be pushed to the bottom.
The U.S. media did not look at Kim Hye-sung's future positively, but at the same time predicted that the Dodgers would trade Lux and begin traffic control. Lux was a prospect that the Dodgers picked and raised as the 20th overall pick in the first round in the 2016 draft. Although it has been sluggish since losing the entire 2023 season due to a knee injury, this is why more people said 'no way'.
MLB.com said, "'Lux, who was able to play for two more years for the Dodgers, hit .251 with an on-base percentage of .320 with a slugging percentage of .383, a WAR of 2.1, 10 homers and 50 RBIs in 139 games last season. Lux, a right-handed lefty, played mostly second base last season, but has also played shortstop and left-field center field since his big league debut in 2019. The ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of the knee blew the entire 2023 season, and the 2024 season was forced to start slowly. Still, his performance in the second half improved a lot, but he hit .304 with an OPS of .899 and seven home runs in the last 61 games of the season.
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Anyway, it is a good thing for Kim Hye-sung. Considering that Kim Hye-sung found it difficult to push out Betts, the MVP batter, the strongest competitor was second baseman Lux. However, the club cleared the biggest obstacles, laying the groundwork for Kim Hye-sung to settle on the big league stage a little easier.
First of all, Kim Hye-sung has to prove his stable defense. The U.S. media is paying attention to Kim Hye-sung's history of winning both shortstop and second baseman Golden Glove for the first time in KBO history. Although there is a difference in selection criteria from Major League Baseball's Gold Glove, which determines the winner only by defense, there is enough expectation that it will be better than Lux, which had chronic defensive instability problems.
Announcing his contract with Kim Hye-sung, 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 has very fast feet, has good defense in various positions, and has advantages in hitting."
There was a similar situation when Kim Ha-sung (30), who is now recognized as a top infielder in the Major League, first became the main player in the San Diego Padres. Fernando Tatis Jr. (26), an insurmountable competitor and key shortstop, was suspended from 80 games for taking banned drugs while leaving due to a broken wrist ahead of the 2022 season. San Diego, which lost its main shortstop for the entire season, had no choice but to fill the vacancy with Kim Ha-sung, who was a backup, and as a result, Kim Ha-sung was able to show his skills by steadily gaining opportunities to play. In 2023, he became the first Asian infielder to win the Gold Glove, perfectly adapting to the big league.
The Dodgers' expectations for Kim Hye-sung led to the Lux trade. Will Kim Hye-sung be able to leap to the starting lineup without missing the golden opportunity that came to him like Kim Ha-sung in 2022.
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Reporter Kim Min-kyung rina1130@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
