The Dodgers have agreed to terms with South Korean right-hander Hyun-seok Jang, his agency in South Korea announced (link via Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency). It’s a $900K signing bonus for the 19-year-old Jang, who is forgoing the KBO amateur draft to pursue MLB opportunities. Yoo notes that Jang was widely expected to be the top pick in this year’s KBO draft. Daniel Kim first reported that the two parties were nearing an agreement.
The signing of Jang likely would not have been possible were it not for last week’s trade with the White Sox, which saw the Dodgers ship a pair of minor leaguers — Aldrin Batista and Maximo Martinez — to Chicago in exchange for additional space in their international bonus pool. The Dodgers’ $4,144,000 pool for the 2023 signing period tied the Rangers for the smallest league-allotted pool. And, as Baseball America’s Ben Badler outlined in detail this past spring, Los Angeles used the overwhelming majority of that pool (all but $1500 of it) on shortstop Joendry Vargas, outfielder Arnaldo Lantigua, right-hander Jesus Tillero, shortstop Daniel Mielcarek, catcher/outfielder Eduardo Quintero, shortstop Elias Medina and right-hander Samuel Sanchez.
The collective bargaining agreement, however, allows teams to trade international bonus pool space. Any team can acquire additional space totaling up to 60% of its initial league-allotted pool size. After their initial signing spree when the period opened, Badler noted that the White Sox still had more than $1MM remaining in pool space. That set the stage for them to either sign additional talents down the line or, as they ultimately wound up doing, trade some of that remaining pool space.
Jang, listed at 6’2″ and 198 pounds, has allowed one run with a 42-to-14 K/BB ratio in 27 1/3 innings during his final high school season and was recently the only amateur named to the South Korean National Team, per Yoo. He’s already reached 97 mph on his fastball and will add a power arm — albeit one that is likely years from realistically making an MLB impact — to the lower levels of the Dodgers’ perennially strong farm system.
Well played by the Dodgers once again. Jang may turn out to be nothing, but you have to crack some eggs to make an omelette.
900k for a potentially great arm is a drop in the bucket for MLB teams, especially one as wealthy as the Dodgers.
The Pirates got a similar kid last international signing period, Jun-Seok Shim. He was to be the 1st overall pick in the last KBO draft. 6-4 215 and very similar stats. The Dodgers are not the only ones to be making such signings. 🙂
Yes, Jun-Seok Shim. Throwing mid-upper-90s as an 18 year old. 12-6 curveball. Also throws a slider and change-up. Pretty athletic kid too. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the second best pitcher from last year’s international class.
His being a teenager they’ve really only bought an interesting lottery ticket. I’m curious how the KBO reacts to having an MLB team swoop in and take a top player in their own amateur draft.
There was a two-year penalty for skipping the draft (similar to NPB’s now defunct “Tazawa Rule”) but I cannot confirm if it still exists
There is if any Korean amateur player signs with an MLB team whenever his career is over in u.s an wants to go back to kbo he has to wait 2 full seasons. (They can play in any independent league during that time period)
@Eighty Raw. Yep that’s what I was wondering. Amateurs in Korea and Japan used t0 face some kind of penalty from their home country leagues if they skipped their drafts to sign directly with MLB. I remember this being a pretty big issue in the last agreement between MLB and NPB but that was years ago and I haven’t heard anything about it since.
Nothing much happened after the Pirates signed Shim so not expecting much anything to happen with Jang being signed by the Dodgers. That makes the expected top pick in the KBO draft never seeing the draft 2 years in a row,.
@blueskies
Your team just signed the best Korean amateur talent and your reaction is how will the KBO will react?
Most dodger fans would be happy their team signed Jang but your responses are constantly negative about your own team. It just doesn’t make sense.
I would think the KBO will react the same way they did last year when the Pirates signed the best Korean amateur.
No, it wasn’t, obviously.
Others were able to answer the question, though, so I will thank them for understanding it.
Wow Dr! When someone says they’re “curious” why do see it as “negative”?
Kind of ironic, isn’t it?
They should throw him out on the mound at Dodger Stadium. Opponents will be confused because they haven’t seen him and he’ll get a taste of the big leagues.
He can learn a lot from Ohtani and the Dodger staff.
The Dodgers are playing the draft like they already have Ohtani signed.
People should remember Dave Roberts is half Japanese.
Two puzzling assertions.
Roberts has an advantage that should be appealing to Ohtani. He gets to join a proven winner, playing for a manager that understands his uniqueness.
Ohtani probably does want to play for a winner, but Dave Roberts doesn’t sign players and I’m doubtful that the people who do are going to be willing to commit at least a half billion simoleons to one player, and that’s what it’s going to take most likely.
No amount of money will discourage the Dodger owners from creating a legendary team capable of winning multiple WS in a row.
History does not back up this claim. They didn’t sign Heyward at the league minimum and non-tender Bellinger because cost is no object.
Well, they are in business. I just think they are saving for the Ohtani sweepstakes. Heyward didn’t have to take the offer, and Belli was having a hard time with Outman looming behind him. Glad he has found himself, and could actually return.
Sportswriters and fans like the narrative that the Dodgers are big favorites in the Ohtani sweepstakes, but I’m unconvinced based on how the Dodgers have spent in the past. Only two players on the team have more than a $100m guarantee. This is pretty much how the Dodgers roll. As for Heyward, he didn’t have any reason to turn the Dodgers down. Since he was released by the Cubs they are paying him over $20m to play for the Dodgers. Bellinger they could have kept and still played Outman. They added both Heyward and Peralta.
The Dodgers do know how and when to efficiently spend money; this is one of their worst teams in several years and yet they still sit in their customary place, atop the NL West awaiting yet another deep playoff run.
LAD and Houston are incredibly run organizations. Atlanta, also.
“Incredibly run”…I totally agree. Oddly enough, I’m not even a fan of any of these teams, but I just admire astute business and baseball management.
Add the Cardinals to the list. Perennial postseason players and there down year came as a surprise to most.
Houston, except for the cheating!
“yet another”? they’ve been bounced in the first round the last few years LOL
Ouch out yourself as a very new or ignorant fan. Baseball playoffs are a complete crapshoot (coin toss) a 5 or 7 game series isn’t indicative of who the better team is. So yes the best team can get bounced first round
You don’t sound too bright…
You realize all the authors of the articles on the site who do all the mlbtr live chats also say baseball playoffs are a crapshoot.
Just because you thought something you’re entire life and were wrong doesn’t mean anything other than you were wrong your whole life
Baseball playoffs equal crapshoot end of debate.
Ah yes, a total “crapshoot” — that’s why Houston is in the WS every year. Definitely not because they’re a good team. Dumb!
Why is Houston in the WS every year if it’s totally random? Try thinking next time!
It’s a crapshoot. End of debate. Try finding someone intelligent it’s not a crapshoot.
So why are the Astros there almost every year? Shouldn’t it be a random team? You’re just butt-hurt to be wrong.
Have you found anyone intelligent.
The Astros have won 5 coin flips. Good for them. If they had lost 5 in a row that wouldn’t mean anything either, means they got unlucky. I don’t think you understand what a crapshoot means.
The White Sox don’t have a clue how to spend their money.
White Sox can’t figure out how to schedule team meetings let alone scouting and signing an international player of this caliber. Jose Abreu was their one exception but it was a decade ago.
I wonder if losing Jose Abreu negatively affected the WS team culture. He always had a reputation as a team leader and you do have to wonder. Oh, and put TA on the first bus out of Chicago and that alone will greatly improve your team culture.
It certainly seems like it because this team has no leadership at all. It’s incredibly frustrating to hear pretty much confirmation on what we all suspected was at fault. This organization is a circus.
Veteran players come and go, leadership voices change. It’s up to other players to step up and fill the void, unfortunately when the longest tenured player on the roster is more concerned with bat flips and jawing at the other team’s rookies what can you expect
I was surprised by what Lance Lynn said about the Sox management. He agreed with someone else’s comment that the organization lacked accountability. Not sure exactly what that means but just the fact that he was so candid about their failings is unusual.
The Sox had $1m in international pool money, and could have signed Jang themselves. But the Sox don’t spend money. If a player wants more than $3m a year, or is making more than $3m a year, Reinsdorf isn’t interested. And I find it laughable when I read that the Sox are “reloading” or “rebuilding” and should contend next year against the other dregs in the ALC. All they have to do is look at the Sox from the major league to rookie ball teams to know that isn’t even remotely possible.
The White Sox could have signed Jang, assuming he was willing to sign with them. You just don’t know.
Yeah, I always hated the old (fill in the sports team) could have and should have signed (fill in the player name) and assume that if said team shoved a contract in from of said player the player would ask for a pen to immediately sign. Just like Rodriguez would not waive his no trade clause to leave the Tigers and head to the Dodgers. He and his family were happy where they were and would not take the chance to win a ring with LA. It definitely takes 2 to tango.
The WSox do spend money(Lance Lynn, Eloy Jimenez, Luis Robert, Moncada, Benintendi etc.. )as does every Major League team. The Whitesox just do not EFFICIENTLY spend money and get “value” for their dollars, like the best run teams. The argument that ANY Major League team doesn’t “spend money” is patently false, overly naive and borderline ridiculous.
You know that Jang Hyunseok would sign with the White Sox? Please share more.
LA and the Dodgers are a whole lot sexier to Koreans
KTown is only 10 minutes from Dodger Stadium. There is a growing fan base there.
And yet the last Dodgers player from Korea was Ryu. It must be more about who interests them than any ideas about satisfying a particular fan base.
What if Jang asking price with the white sox was way more than what it was with the dodgers.
Yup awful team and awful farm system
It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so. Congratulations to Rick Hahn on being named Grand Marshal of the clown car parade!
Dodgers have the advantage of being a west coast team when it comes to signing players from East Asia. White Sox and other Midwest teams would be unlikely to get significant ROI for money spent trying to recruit from those leagues.
The Dodgers also have the “advantage” of having DOZENS and dozens of trained, seasoned, experienced scouts. Like many teams, the Dodgers built an analytics office within the team, but unlike teams like the Yankees, the Dodgers did NOT CUT the number of traditional scouts and actually hired a few more. The Yankees in contrast, have FIRED DOZENS of seasoned traditional scouts in the last 10+ yrs and replaced them with inexperienced, younger Ivy League “analytics gurus” with little baseball background.
Cardinals have signed Seunghwan Oh and Kwang Hyun Kim in recent years, so it can be done.
Add to that Won-Bin Cho last year. 18 year old was expected to be drafted early in the KBO draft. Survived the 2022 complex league, training and culture adjustment.
This year looking great by the numbers. .385 OBP, .384 SLG and 27 stolen in 87 games of A ball with Palm Beach. Bouncing around all three outfield spots featuring a few assists.
Lean 19 year old with maybe weapon potential as he puts on muscle if he keeps his plate discipline and speed. Dude looks pretty natural and worth adding to a Cards fan’s farm check in on now and then list.
The Dodgers also have the advantage of signing Park Chanho
Chan Ho Park signed with LA in 1994, 29 years ago… or 11 years before Hyun-seok Jang was born
Feels like a bit of stretch to claim that impacted Jang’s decision at all
If you don’t think the Dodgers signing of Park Chanho had any lasting impact, I trust you don’t know much about Korean baseball
I’m not trying to disrespect Park’s legacy at all, he’s an idol in Korea and I’m not trying to argue otherwise.
What I’m saying is, I would have guessed the idea of following Park to MLB would be considered “following his path” without the young guy having to literally sign with the Dodgers or else the success is somehow “lesser.” Maybe I’m totally off base, but Korean guys who sign with other teams obviously still cite him as a major influence. Dodgers or bust seems excessive, no?
What are the A’s going to do with their additional bonus space ?
Save it for the blackjack tables in Vegas when they move.
Who is the best baseball assistant GM who could turn this team around quickly. We need help as soon as possible.n
This kid would’ve never signed with the white sox. His agents are interested in developing him into an MLB star and the white sox dev system is notoriously bad. Scouts and agents make fun Chicago’s lack of player development, the dodgers have one of the best reputations for player development. Except with MLBTR “fantasy expert” Brad Johnson, he’s not a fan of LA’s dev staff
Being able to trade the international bonus money defeats the purpose of doling it out in a particular manner. The large markets already have an advantage with local TV money allowing them to offer bigger contracts. Next thing, they’ll be allowing trading of draft picks.
Again, MLB HQ in NYC kowtows to the large markets to the deteriment to the smaller ones, just like when they did this ridiculous NBA like lottery.
Chicago traded their international bonus money, and Chicago isn’t a small market.
Maybe so, but the White Sox run their team like a small market. The point about the bonus money is still valid.
Except for your entire baseline being false, sure
Says an obvious large market apologist.
The White Sox only get 60 million from their local TV deal while the Cubs get 99, so not quite the same. But both have a long way to go to catch the Dodgers 196 million. It practically pays their payroll. Should they all be so lucky. But they aren’t, are they?
These numbers make $900k in international bonus money seem rather trivial.
But it is still money they would not have otherwise been allocated and that is the point. They don’t need any other advantages outside what they already have.
There needed to be an international draft YEARS ago and despite it coming up each CBA, it never hsppens? Who benefits? There’s your answer. . This posting business for NPB is ridiculous as well.
Your Reds are in the midst of the playoff race while the big-money Mets, Padres, Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels are in worse shape. Maybe take a break from the small-market pity party and enjoy things.
A half to two thirds of baseball teams would disagree with you. I am more concerned about the health of the game in this instance, not just the fortunes of the team I root for.
Half to 2/3? Wow, that’s overstating things significantly. The game has been healthy, still is, and is very likely to continue to do so.
Large-market teams have larger fanbases and more revenues, as well as greater expenses. Is it completely fair? No, but nothing ever is.
Healthy only in the large markets. It’s dying in flyover country, has been for a decade or more.
There’s a reason the NFL is king. Its called a level playing field. MLB doesn’t have one, hasn’t for many years and it is getting worse.
These arguments have been disproven so many times.
Please demonstrate how baseball is dying in the middle of the country. Attendance is up just about everywhere this season.
The NFL has a narrower team salary range, but there hasn’t been a dominant team like the Patriots in baseball since the Yankees of 25 years ago.
The sky isn’t falling despite some fans saying so for several decades.
If you can’t open uoue eyes to what’s been going on in MLB the past twenty years or more, no one is going to be able to help you. Of course, you have to emerge from your bubble and look around, also.
You remind me of the politicians who don’t want to believe anything that doesn’t fit their narrative, whether it is true or not.
Wow, are you the pot or the kettle?
I see. Your team over the health of the sport it is.
Typical of large market folks.
The sport is healthy, and my team isn’t in a large market.
When the “national pasttime” now ranks behind soccer and lacrosse in popularity among young people, that is not healthy. The sport is also all but absent of African-Americans these days, both by participation and in the stands. Latin America and Asia are increasingly beckming the main the recruiting ground because fewer young people in America are playing the sport period. Look at all the empty diamonds in parks where they used to be full.
Smaller stadiums being built.
Sudden advertising on jerseys, long a no no.
Suddenly in bed with gambling now, a century old no no.
People long tired of the idiot MLB blackout rules and moving on to other things in a Twitter world.
Small and even mid market fans long tired of the uneven playing field, caising more waning interest there.
The signs are all around you. That is, if you care to look rather than buy the BS you are fed.
That is what is irritating, when people just believe what they are told rather than finding out for themselves. Some people know and actually care because they care to participate in growing the sport.
Makes sense. LA has the worlds largest Korean population outside of Korea. He will find a noodle shop to his liking and sign an autograph poster to hang on the wall
Let’s hope MLB has some scouts watching the Japanese High School baseball tournament right now. Riseisha has some decent bats and arms on the team.
Dodgers have been the most popular MLB team in Korea since Chan Ho Park. Every Dodger game was on national tv for Park and Ryu so they’ve built a big following over there. Pirates have a decent fan base in Korea too
Love this move for the Dodgers.
Those hating on the White Sox, this was a great move for them, too. They had the money. Not like Jang was going to sign with them. So they used that money to get two international prospects they probably couldn’t sign themselves or that the Dodgers beat them to.
All these guys are all crap shoots – but looks like the Sox got two. And the Dodgers got one – albeit a more fancy and exciting one right now!
For the Sox,….win win. Or win, no lose, at the worst.
This kid has a 97mph heater along with four other pitches…at 19 years old. He’s only going to get stronger. The Dodgers pulled off a fantastic move here, giving up two minor leaguers for Int’l pool money.
Their continual success stems from moves like this, keeping the minor league pipeline stacked.
I’m fine if the Dodgers don’t go after Ohtani in the offseason. Putting all that money into one player is always risky. Case in point, the Mets dumping truckloads of money on two aging pitchers.
Jun-Seok Shim, at 18 was hitting 100 and sitting ~96 with his fastball a true 12-6 curve and command of all of his pitches. Has a nasty slider too Other teams find these gems too.,
the difference is LA doesn’t have the benefit of a top 3 international bonus pool practically every year
They’re usually working with a bottom 5 starting point. The rules only allow teams to add an additional 60%
And LA has had this machine consistently cranking for 7-10 years? There’s a massive difference
Hmm my immediate thought was Jang signing a way to further entice Ohtani to the Dodgers, somebody to nurture and relate/speak with.
Let’s face it Dogg LAD is Ohtani’s home in 2024.
But one is Korean and the other is Japanese, not sure this has anything to do with Ohtani, but ya never know right?
plus the Korean is only 19 and probably 3+ years from even a chance of pitching in the Dodgers rotation.
And not a lot of love lost between Korea and Japan if you know your history.
Not a lot love lost in the whole region among several countries throughout history.
True that, but this one is relatively recent.
Good move Dodgers
Savvy move from the Dodgers FO, converting a couple of expendable arms from the farm, into a quality prospect.
It would have been impressive if he was North Korean.
I wonder if any team actually offered him more? If I recall correctly the Dodgers had less than a $ million in international pool when Ohtani was on the market. They tried, but Angels could offer him 5x the $. This is the one place the Dodgers can be outbid,
Bonus caps work and anyone who thinks differently is crazy
With Ohtani, the Angels could also offer the DH everyday. It wasn’t yet in the NL and it was still unclear how soon it would happen. The Angels still the provided access to the LA market and the chance for Ohtani to play both sides daily. That was the real difference imo. He left a lot of money to come to MLB early, if the Dodgers had the DH, I think he signs there as an amateur even for less $
In Friedman We Trust.