The Dodgers are a known quantity in domestic free agency, where they scoop up guys like Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Blake Snell on mind-numbing contracts.
However, their dominance on the international market in recent years has been a sight to behold. They gave Yoshinobu Yamamoto the largest guarantee for a pitcher ever last year, and now they've scooped up KBO star infielder Hyeseong Kim on a three-year deal.
Several media outlets in Korea are now reporting that #Dodgers have agreed to a 3-yr deal w/ Hye-seong Kim w/ option for an additional 2 years. #MLB #KBO pic.twitter.com/SLPieGZKPM
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) January 3, 2025
It shouldn't come as much of a surprise, but the Dodgers have turned their brand into the premier global MLB franchise. It helps that they're always competitive, loaded with money, and geographically primed to attract Asian stars, but their ability to win free agent after free agent is simply awe-inspiring.
Of course, one more international superstar remains this offseason, and he's the last big prize on the market. Roki Sasaki may be taking meetings with up to 20 teams in the coming weeks, but if anything is becoming clear, it's that the Dodgers are inevitable.
Dodgers must be considered favorites for Sasaki
Recent updates on Sasaki have portrayed the Dodgers (and Padres) less as "surefire finalists" and more like "house favorites".
San Diego feels like the cleaner fit, given their need in the rotation and the fact they already have Yu Darvish, a close friend of Sasaki's, already on the roster. They're also in a smaller and less demanding market than Los Angeles, which is known to be a plus for the 23-year-old pitcher.
Other suitors, like the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and Boston Red Sox all have much to offer that fits what agent Joel Wolfe said his client is looking for.
And yet, despite the competition that will come from all confident parties, the Dodgers are the clear and obvious favorite to sign Sasaki.
Heck, they signed Kim — to whom they were barely attached in rumors prior to New Years Day — to a below-market, three-year deal despite the infielder's status as an international star at just 26 years old. If the Dodgers target a player in free agency, they simply don't miss out on him these days. It's beginning to feel akin to the "Evil Empire" Yankees days, when New York would simply pay every star gargantuan sums of money that other teams simply couldn't match.
Sasaki is a different case, given that he'll be required to sign a minor league deal due to international posting rules. Nevertheless, the chances that he'll pass up an opportunity to pitch alongside Ohtani and Yamamoto are getting slimmer by the day.
It's going to be very frustrating for fans of the sport's other 29 teams, but when Sasaki puts pen to paper, it'll almost certainly be with the Dodgers. At least, that's the way it feels right now.