SF Lee Jung-hoo-LAD Ohtani-SD Kim Ha-sung make NL West ‘dream division’ come true

Could a “dream division” with Korean and Japanese baseball stars like Shohei Ohtani, Lee Jung-hoo, and Kim Ha-seong be possible?

According to MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, it’s certainly possible.

On Aug. 8 (KST), MLB.com predicted which clubs the top 11 free agents will sign with this winter.

No. 1 Shohei Ohtani was matched with the Los Angeles Dodgers and No. 10 Jung-Hoo Lee with the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers and Giants are in the National League West. Ha-seong Kim’s San Diego Padres are in the same division.

The Dodgers need a clear-cut mega-star player to win the World Series. The Giants are in desperate need of an outfielder who can hit.

MLB.com said, “Our experts overwhelmingly picked the Dodgers as Ohtani’s next team. The Dodgers are a club that could offer the two-hit superstar a record-breaking contract that could be worth upwards of $500 million. It’s no surprise that the Dodgers are the No. 0 contender. Ohtani has lived in Southern California all his life and could decide to stay there,” he explained.

The Giants are in desperate need of an offensive bat.

According to MLB.com, “The Giants have a big need for productivity at the plate. Wilmer Flores (0.863) was the only player to post an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) above .800 last season. He was also the only player to hit more than 20 home runs (23).” Lee will help the Giants’ offense.

In the 2023 National League West, the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks made the postseason. The Dodgers won the division but were eliminated in the Division Series. The Diamondbacks made it all the way to the World Series, finishing as runners-up. 토토사이트

Ha-Sung Kim’s Padres barely missed the .500 mark with 82 wins and 80 losses, but finished third in the division. The Giants finished fourth with 79 wins and 83 losses.

The major leagues play 13 games against teams from the same division. If both Lee and Oh come to the West Coast, they could enjoy nearly a full season of head-to-head matchups.