Infielder Kim Hye-sung (26) will head to the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) star corps.

An official from Kim Hye-sung's agency CAA said on the 4th (Korea Standard Time), "Kim Hye-sung agreed to a contract of up to $22 million (about 32.4 billion won) for 3+2 years with the LA Dodgers."

The three-year warranty covers a total of 12.5 million U.S. dollars and includes an option to extend the contract for two years afterward. According to the CAA, the right to veto the minor league is reportedly excluded from the contract. U.S. media including the Associated Press and MLB.COM, the official website of the Major League, also reported on Kim's contract.

CAA added, "We offered $28 million (41.2 billion won) for five years from the Los Angeles Angels and received offers from the Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, but we chose the Dodgers."

Kim joined the Nexen Heroes (currently the Kiwoom Heroes) in the KBO League as the seventh pick in the second round in 2017. She debuted that year, and started playing full-time starting in 2018, the following year. During her eight seasons, she played in 953 games with a batting average of 0.304, 1,043 hits, 37 homers, 386 RBIs, 591 runs, and 211 steals. Her defensive positions were mostly second and shortstop. In 2020, she also played in left field depending on team conditions.메이저사이트

Kim grabbed her first Golden Glove as a shortstop in 2021. From 2022 to last year, she acquired the gold glove as a second baseman for three consecutive years. She became the 14th Korean to receive the honor for four consecutive seasons. It was also the first time in 36 years that she won the honor in the second baseman category for three consecutive seasons since Kim Seong-rae (Samsung Lions) in 1986-1988. The KBO's new defense award, which was established in 2023, also garnered the honor in the second baseman category for two consecutive years.

He also has experience in international sports. He has attended the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (to be held in 2021), the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (to be held in 2023), and the 2023 Asian Baseball Championship (APBC).

Kim, who dreamed of becoming a big league player, expressed her intention through a meeting with her team Kiwoom in January last year, and Kiwoom decided to respect Kim's will and will and allowed posting (closed competitive bidding). Kim then signed an agent contract with CAA Sports, the agency of superstar Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers) in June last year.

The MLB Secretariat requested the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) to check Kim's identity on October 31 last year. Kim's posting was posted at noon on December 4 (2 a.m. on the 5th in Korea time). The 30 MLB teams can negotiate with players from 8 a.m. on the day after posting until 5 p.m. on the 30th day.

The negotiation period for Kim was from 10 p.m. on Dec. 5 to 7 a.m. on Jan. 4 in Korean time. Amid the interest of multiple clubs, Kim successfully signed a contract with the Dodgers, which won the 2024 World Series.

Kim Hye-sung is the ninth KBO League player to sign a contract with an MLB club through the posting system. When it comes to fielders, Kim Hye-sung is the fifth to do so after Kang Jung-ho (2014; Pittsburgh Pirates), Park Byung-ho (2015; Minnesota Twins), Kim Ha-sung (2020; San Diego Padres) and Lee Jung-hoo (2023; San Francisco Giants). Coincidentally, they are all former Heroes.

Kim plans to conduct medical tests in the U.S. soon and finalize her contract. She will then compete internally to make her big league debut from the spring camp in February.

MLB clubs that have recruited Korean players through posting must pay transfer fees to the player's original team in accordance with the Korea-U.S. player contract agreement.

If the total amount is 25 million dollars or less, 20% of the guarantee amount is made. If the total amount is between 25 million dollars and 50 million dollars, you will have to pay 5 million dollars, 20% of the minimum baseline of 25 million dollars, and 17.5% of the guarantee amount exceeding 25 million dollars. If the total amount exceeds 50 million dollars, compensation up to 50 million dollars will have to be given an additional 15% of the amount exceeding 50 million dollars.

Details of the deal have yet to be disclosed, but Kim's transfer fee is estimated to be over 2 million dollars. "The Dodgers will pay Kiwoom 2 million dollars, or 20 percent of the guaranteed amount. The additional transfer fee will be transferred to Kiwoom according to the bonus," the Associated Press said.