Dodgers reach three-year deal with Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim

On the same day the Dodgers were set to officially welcome back one of the key pieces of their 2024 World Series team, Teoscar Hernández, they made an unexpected addition in free agency, as well.

The team reached an agreement Friday to sign South Korean infielder Hyeseong Kim, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation who weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

The deal, which will be for three years and $12.5 million with a two-year option in 2028 and 2029 that could raise its value to $22 million, will add another versatile player into the Dodgers’ fold — while also raising speculation about further moves potentially coming to the team’s 2025 roster.

During eight seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization, the 25-year-old Kim batted .304 while playing second base, shortstop, third base and left field.

Read more: Teoscar Hernández agrees to three-year, $66-million deal with the Dodgers

After being posted by his Korean club, the Kiwoom Heroes, earlier this offseason, Kim’s deadline to sign with an MLB team was Friday.

Coincidentally, the news came shortly before a previously scheduled news conference for Hernández, who agreed to re-sign with the Dodgers last week on a three-year, $66-million deal.

That move was seen as a key step toward the Dodgers’ retaining the core of their 2024 roster, ensuring an important on-field contributor and clubhouse leader would remain in Los Angeles for next season’s title defense.

However, Kim’s arrival could signal that other changes might be coming.

Read more: Plaschke: Fans are heard, title hopes are solidified, Teoscar Hernández is back with Dodgers

With Kim, the team now has a crowded roster of middle infield options for 2025. Mookie Betts is expected to return to shortstop. Gavin Lux has been penciled in as the second baseman, following his second-half resurgence last season returning from a torn ACL. Miguel Rojas had his club option picked up earlier this offseason. And the team still has utility options in Chris Taylor (who is entering his contract year with $17 million still owed to him) and Tommy Edman (though he could primarily play center field after signing a five-year contract extension earlier this winter).

While it remains to be seen if the team will deal from that sudden abundance of depth, they will have to clear at least one 40-man roster spot in the near term in order to make the signings of Kim and Hernández official.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.