As the reigning World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a huge advantage over other clubs in free agency this offseason. Although the Dodgers offered less money and less years to international free agent Hyeseong Kim, the Korean second baseman ultimately chose to sign with Los Angeles.
The Los Angeles Angels reportedly offered the soon to be 26-year-old a five-year, $28 million offer, but he declined. Instead, Kim chose to sign a three-year contract for $12.5 million with the Dodgers, which also incudes a two-year club option for 2028 and 2029. For what it’s worth, the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher said the Angels’ offer was not higher than the Dodgers.
For the Dodgers, the Kim signing wasn’t without the help of Shohei Ohtani, who met with the Korean infielder in L.A. during his free agent process. Is there any reality where a player would turn down a championship team with some of the greatest international players in MLB?…