It is a matter of time before Major League Baseball plays a series in South Korea. The San Diego Padres are the perfect team to travel overseas when that happens.
This appears to be the case. According to Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres are on the short list of teams to play in South Korea. Jack Harris from the Los Angeles Times followed up by saying that the Padres and Dodgers will be facing off in South Korea in 2024.
Ha-seong Kim makes San Diego Padres must watch in South Korea
It would make sense for MLB to want to send a marquee matchup to South Korea. A series between the A’s and Royals, as occurred this past weekend, is baseball no one wants to watch. The Dodgers and Padres should still be the class of the NL West and be amongst the best teams in the majors.
There is another important reason for the Padres to make that trek. Ha-seong Kim is one of the biggest stars in South Korea. He was an excellent all around threat in the Korean Baseball Organization, a multiple time All Star who won three consecutive Gold Glove awards before coming stateside. While he has not matched that production with the Padres, he was a Gold Glove finalist last year and has provided plenty of value with his depth.
This is also something that the two sides have been working toward for some time. The KBO had gained attention stateside during the pandemic as they were able to start their season in relatively short order. They had been looking to play a series stateside with the major leagues having a series there, something that had been discussed during the previous offseason. Now, those plans are starting to come to fruition.
According to reports, the San Diego Padres will be playing a series in South Korea in 2024. They are the perfect choice for that first series.
Leave a Reply