The San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are among the most fierce rivals in all of sports. Unfortunately for the Padres, it’s been more of a “big brother-little brother” dynamic than a genuine, competitive rivalry.
This offseason, the Dodgers might escalate the bullying by acquiring one of San Diego’s infielders in free agency. Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report recently projected that the Padres shortstop would leave San Diego for the team’s fiercest opponent.
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Kelly expects Ha-Seong Kim to sign a one-year, $14 million contract with the Dodgers this winter. “As much as it may irritate San Diego supporters, the Dodgers value players with positional versatility and have a need in their middle infield. “Kim would be an excellent fit,” Kelly wrote. “If not the Dodgers, the Giants-another NL West rival of the Padres-have also been connected to Kim already.”
Los Angeles needs an infielder, and Kim would provide the team with the defensive versatility it requires. The Dodgers have enough firepower to endure Kim missing a significant portion of the season due to a shoulder injury that terminated his 2024 campaign.
San Diego is also anticipated to aggressively pursue re-signing him, and given his time with the team, the Padres may be more inclined to offer him a two-year contract than the Dodgers.
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