Chicago Cubs Swing and Miss Against Dodgers on Huge International Star

The Chicago Cubs lost out on the pursuit of a KBO star to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday afternoon.

Aug 5, 2021; Yokohama, Japan; Team South Korea infielder Hyeseong Kim (3) hits a single in the third inning against USA in a baseball semifinal match during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Summer Games at Yokohama Baseball Stadium. / Yukihito Taguchi-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs made a last minute offer to KBO star Hyeseong Kim before his posting window closed on Friday, but the infielder has reportedly chosen someone else.

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic has reported that Kim has come to an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There were a handful of other teams that offered the 25-year-old a deal as well including the  San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners.

The Cubs have continuously tried to build out their depth of international players and believe that they should be met with the same respect in their pursuit as the classic west coast teams.

Shota Imanaga and Seiya Suzuki are two successful signings they have made in recent history that have worked out very well for them, so it's not surprising to see them dip back into this well.

Their earlier offering was a bit surprising, though, as they had not been mentioned in Kim's market up until that point.

The middle infielder is mostly known for his glove, as he is a three-time KBO Gold Glove winner. He also excels as a base runner, swiping at least 25 bags in each of the last five years. He stole 46 in 2021, when he lead the league.

He doesn't have much pop in his bat, but does hit for average. Kim is coming off of a season where he posted a .326/.383/.458 slash lie with 11 home runs and 75 RBI.

There have been murmurs that Chicago is not happy with the middle of their infield, namely Nico Hoerner, and this is a key sign that there is at least some truth to that.

Hoerner was once a promising star at second base, but has never become the player that anyone hoped he would.

Perhaps they could enter the pursuit of former Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim for a defensive wiz, but even he doesn't bring much to the plate and would be much more expensive.