SF Giants trying to emulate in South Korea what Dodgers have done in Japan

While the Los Angeles Dodgers have a grip on the country of Japan with two of their star players, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, hailing from the country, maybe the SF Giants can make some inroads in South Korea.

They certainly seem to be trying to do that with their recent trip to South Korea that featured president of baseball operations Buster Posey, manager Tony Vitello, shortstop Willy Adames, and, of course, Jung Hoo Lee who was a star in the KBO and is South Korean even though he was born in Japan.

SF Giants looking to make inroads in South Korea

It will be nearly impossible to replicate what the Dodgers have done in Japan given the fact that Ohtani is such a superstar, but it is cool to see that the Giants are at least trying to make that connection with South Korea since one of the team's most popular players is from there.

Not only that, but it is great to see Vitello literally meeting players where they are at. He did the same thing with Adames by traveling to the Dominican Republic so he really does seem to be jumping into his new job head first.

Adames and Lee may potentially represent their countries in the World Baseball Classic this March which interferes with spring training, so it is good that Vitello is establishing these connections early on before players leave for a bit during the Cactus League.

In some ways, this trip to South Korea is somewhat symbolic of the current gap between the Giants and Dodgers. San Francisco is looking to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021 while the Dodgers have won two straight World Series titles.

The Dodgers are the team of Japan and while many Giants games are broadcast in South Korea since Lee is on the team, there is not quite that same fervor for the Giants even though baseball is clearly very popular in South Korea.

The only way that might change is if the Giants start to win and Lee continues to improve. He had a decent 2025 season, getting hot at the start before a prolonged slump in the middle of the season before he turned things around towards the end of the season.

The Giants will be counting on him to continue to progress in year three in the big leagues since he is an integral part of the team's offense.