Dodgers, Hyeseong Kim agree to 3-year deal with $12.5 million guaranteed
Kim was posted last month and has played the past 6 seasons with the KBO's Kiwoom Heroes
The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed infielder Hyeseong Kim to a three-year deal with $12.5 million guaranteed. The contract for the 25-year-old infielder includes a two-year option for the 2028 and 2029 seasons that could allow the deal to be worth as much as $22 million.
The Dodgers confirmed the news Friday afternoon, following multiple reports that Kim was headed to Los Angeles. To make room for Kim on the roster, the Dodgers designated catcher Diego Cartaya — a 23-year-old catcher who was ranked by multiple scouting services as a top 20 prospect before a cold stretch across 2023 and 2024.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to terms with utility player Hyeseong Kim on a three-year contract for $12.5 million with a two-year club option for 2028 and 2029. The Dodgers designated catcher Diego Cartaya to make room on the 40-man roster.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) January 3, 2025
MLB teams were able to negotiate a contract with Kim after he was posted on Dec. 5. Teams had until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to work out a deal.
The 25-year-old Kim, who has played the past six seasons with the KBO's Kiwoom Heroes, was the first player from South Korea and Japan to be posted this offseason and has been training in Los Angeles for the past month.
Kim, a left-handed hitter, is coming off a career season with the Heroes in which he hit 11 home runs, drove in 75 runs, stole 30 bases and posted a .326 batting average. It was his fourth straight season hitting over .300 and his seventh straight season with at least 20 stolen bases.
Over his eight-season career, Kim has slashed .304/.364/.403 with 386 RBI in 953 games. His 211 steals since 2018 are the most by any KBO player during that span.
Defensively, he's a three-time KBO Fielding Award winner. He won the award in 2021 at shortstop and in 2022 and 2023 at second base.
After the Dodgers played an exhibition in March against a team of Korean All-Stars, manager Dave Roberts said that Kim impressed the team's scouts.
"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," 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."
With the signing of Kim and re-signing of Teoscar Hernández, that puts the Dodgers right at the 40-man roster limit, meaning someone will need to be moved out. And with Mookie Betts set at shortstop and Gavin Lux at second base, Kim will fill a utility role.
Kim is the fifth player from the Heroes to sign with an MLB team following Kang Jung-ho (Pittsburgh Pirates), Park Byung-ho (Minnesota Twins), Ha-seong Kim (San Diego Padres) and Jung-hoo Lee (San Francisco Giants).
Had Kim not signed with an MLB team, he would have returned to the Heroes and would be unable to be posted again until after Nov. 1, 2025.
