The Dodgers: A dynasty in the making

English Audio Above. Japanese Audio Below.

The Dodgers have a clear advantage in the marketing department. They have Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and now Roki Sasaki, three of the most talented players coming from the land of the rising sun, Japan. They are poised to win another championship, the clear favorite to do so. 

 

With the signing of Hye-Seong Kim, the Dodgers have added their reach to South Korea. I think highly of Hye-Seong Kim, as his defensive skills are undeniably going to make the Dodgers better. Not only will he help the Dodgers defensively, but he will also make the Dodgers a much faster team. Despite Shohei's 50/50 season, Hye-Seong Kim now holds the title of fastest player in the Dodgers' organization. He is reunited with his WBC teammate, Tommy Edman, who signed a five-year extension with the Dodgers in November for 74 million, which includes a sixth-year club extension. 

Unless the Dodgers decide to shake up the lineup, the Dodgers now have two players of Korean descent on their team. Hyun-Seok Jang could potentially join the Dodgers as a third Korean player, contingent on his early performance in the minor leagues. Although he struggled last season, posting a record of 1-3 in 18 games, he showed flashes of elite stuff that can be honed and improved under the Dodger management team. Jang was on the IL between September 7th and 25th. There's really no need to rush him, though, especially with the recent addition of Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki. With Yoshi, Shohei, Roki, Blake, and a healthy Kershaw, the Dodgers easily have the best starting lineup in the league. There's no reason to believe they wouldn't do well this season. 

Even when you think Shohei Ohtani is incapable of achieving any more remarkable feats, he manages to do so. 2024 was a magical season, as he founded the 50/50 club, becoming its only member. As the announcer remarked, "One of a kind player, one of a kind season." Perhaps we will never witness a season like this in our lifetime again. The only person who can surpass it is Shohei Ohtani himself. What’s next? Cy Young, Triple Crown in one season? I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s Shohei; nothing is undoable.

The Dodgers have plans to open up fan clubs to connect with Japanese fans. Full details are not fully known, but the purpose is to unite the team's international supporters. It has yet to begin; however, the extra revenue could be immense. If it’s a monthly charge of 25 dollars, for example, a month, the extra revenue earned per fan is 300 dollars a year. You then multiply that with a low estimate of one million fans. That’s 300 million dollars a year alone, assuming only one million people become members and it’s a fixed price. Now, if we are going wild here and five million people join, that’s about 1.5 billion dollars a year in extra revenue. That’s insane profits. The bottom line is that the Dodgers growth rate is far outpacing every team in MLB. It would not be a surprise at all if the Dodgers become the most valuable team within five years. 

The Korean market depends on the performance of Hye-Seong Kim. If Hye-Seong becomes a star like I expect him to, the Dodgers are poised to take advantage of his success, thus solidifying their financial status even further. There are over 300,000 Americans of Korean descent in the LA area. Los Angeles is a huge place, with an estimated 3,820,000+ people. While Los Angeles may not match the marketing phenoms of its Japanese superstars, Koreans share a similar passion for baseball, and Hye-Seong Kim's affiliation with the Dodgers offers him a significant advantage over his fellow Koreans due to the sizeable Dodger market. When asked why he chose the Dodgers, the three-time Gold Glove winner gave a simple reply, 

“Well, they’re the Dodgers.”

The Dodgers have the Asian market advantage that had not been explored at this level quite yet, making them a dynasty with heavy influence in the US market and Asia. Expectations are high for the Dodgers to deliver championships and financial gains for years to come.