Dodgers Nation, which deals with the news of the Los Angeles Dodgers, praised Kim Hye-sung as "perfect" on the 9th (Korea time) when he answered the question about why he joined the Dodgers.

Kim Hye-sung appeared on Kiwoom Heroes' YouTube channel on the 7th and revealed the behind-the-scenes story of the Dodgers contract process and why she decided to move to Dodgers.

First of all, when asked, "Do you feel real?" he smiled, saying, "I think I feel a little bit. I have to go to the U.S. soon, so I feel real little by little."안전놀이터

"I barely slept that day. I had to sign a contract. I was awake until 4 a.m. and fell asleep around 5:30 a.m. and woke up for two hours. I remember waking up instantly (because of the congratulatory message). I'm sorry that I couldn't reply to all of your messages on Instagram because I don't do that often. I think it's the day I got the most calls in my life. I was so thankful that many fans congratulated me like it was their job. I felt that I should do my best even when I go there."

When he said that Shohei Ohtani had advice during the contract, he laughed, "I worked out at the athletic facility provided by the agency, and Ohtani was there. (I met him for the first time) It was before posting, but I said I would do it two days later, and I said thank you for saying I was rooting for him."

Both Kim Hye-sung and Ohtani have CAA (Creative Artists Agency) as agencies. After Kim Hye-sung's decision to go to the Dodgers on the 4th, a CAA official said, "The existence of Ohtani, a member of the same CAA, also affected. Ohtani met Kim Hye-sung in the U.S. and gave him a lot of advice. So I felt a sense of stability."

However, Ohtani's advice was not the decisive reason for Kim's choice of the Dodgers. "There are many complex reasons, and the biggest reason is that it's the Dodgers. I think that's why I felt more interested in him because I watched a lot of baseball games with the Dodgers from Park Chan-ho to Ryu Hyun-jin on TV."

On the 4th, the Dodgers signed Kim Hye-sung for up to 22 million dollars (about 32 billion won) for 3+2 years. It was a three-year 12.5 million-dollar guarantee with an additional two-year team option at stake. The Dodgers have to pay up to 2.5 million dollars (about 3.6 billion won) in commission to Kim Hye-sung's team Kiwoom Heroes.

"The name is similar to that of Kim Ha-sung, who played for the San Diego Padres in recent seasons, but he is not the same player," the U.S. sports media ESPN said of Kim Hye-sung. "He is also a completely different type of player from Yasiel Puig and Lee Jung-hoo, who played for Kiwoom together," he said. "If you look at the Scout report, he is similar to Kim Ha-sung in defense and baserunning. However, Kim Hye-sung can play outfield and is less powerful than Kim Ha-sung."

"Kim Hye-sung is a utility player that the Dodgers really like. Thanks to his presence, Tommy Edman can be used as a center fielder. If Kim Hye-sung is good at offense, he will be more than a backup utility in the long run," he said. "He is basically a talented player. In particular, he is a very good runner. He also has good on-base ability. He is not as influential and versatile as Kim Ha-sung, who received the Gold Glove in the National League utility category in 2023. Dodgers manager Roberts said, "It may be difficult to decide what position to assign to Kim Hye-sung."

"Considering Kim's performance, there are few drawbacks to this contract. If she provides above-average defense in various positions and gets on base, she will pose a tremendous threat to her opponents," Kim said. "She will also be an effective force for the Dodgers, a super team that looks like an all-tournament team of the World Baseball Classic."

The Dodgers traded Gavin Lux, who had been selected as the starting second baseman of the 2025 season, to the Cincinnati Reds in order to make room for Kim. In the U.S., Kim is expected to have a chance as the ninth batter and second baseman.