The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres are one of the bitterest rivalries in all of baseball. These two teams went at it in the most dramatic of ways in the 2024 postseason, where the Padres eventually fell victim to the powerhouse Dodgers.
The Padres could fall victim to the Dodgers once again in free agency.
Los Angeles has been connected to the top free agents on the market (Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Willy Adames) while the Padres have been connected to much smaller players (Jurickson Profar). One of the players that Los Angeles continues to be connected to is the Padres' own free agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.
FanSided's Nick Villano jumped on the same ship, projecting Kim to ditch the Padres in favor of the Dodgers. Spotrac projects Kim to sign a four-year, $49 million contract this winter. If you can't beat them, join them, right?
"The reason the Los Angeles Dodgers can pay players like Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani these insane deals is because they make the right decisions around the edges," Villano wrote. "They have a really tough decision themselves at shortstop, but if they take a downgrade there but save on the contract by a ton, it gives them the flexibility to keep spending elsewhere."
Kim suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery at the end of the 2024 season. He's likely to be ready at some point during he first half of 2025, but nothing is for sure with his return yet.
The Dodgers could take a shot on an injured Kim just like they took a shot on the injured Tommy Edman at the trade deadline. The Edman move worked out perfectly and stealing Kim from the Padres may be even sweeter.
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