Even "Dodgers Avoiding WBC" Betts-Freeman-Sasaki and "Kim Hye-sung Competitor" Pazs announced their absence, saying, "There is still a lot to improve."

*This content was translated by AI.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the first National League club to try to win three consecutive World Series titles, are "building a dynasty" above all else. Not only did Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman express their intention not to participate in the World Baseball Classic, but even Andy Pazs (26), a potential competitor of Kim Hye-sung (27), expressed his intention not to play for the Cuban national team.

Yordano Carmona, a professional baseball reporter who delivers the news of Cuban baseball, wrote on his SNS on the 20th (Korea Standard Time), "Pahes confirmed that he will not play for the Cuban national team at WBC." According to the news, Pazs said, "There are still many things to improve and we need to prepare for a long season. I have to focus on what is most important to me," he said. He expressed his intention to focus on his team rather than the national team.

Except for Shohei Ohtani (32), most of the Dodgers' players are avoiding WBC. Betts, who can play for the U.S. national team, and Freeman, the Canadian national team, rejected the proposal for the national team, citing personal reasons. In addition to Sasaki Rocky (25), who suffered from right shoulder collision syndrome along with adaptation in his first year in the Major League, even outfield prospect Pazs rejected the call of the Cuban national team. Teoscar Hernandez (34) also delivered his rest to the Dominican Republic team early on. Even Yamamoto Yoshinobu (28) has not been confirmed whether he will play in the WBC.

Farggs from Cuba started playing in the Major League as a Dodgers player from the 2024 season. Having a batting average of 0.248 in 116 games in the 2024 season, he was not bad with a batting average of 0.272 (158 hits in 581 at-bats) in 156 games in the 2025 season. In particular, he showed his potential by shooting 27 home runs. In particular, the position is different in the 2025 season, but Kim Hye-sung and I competed for the roster spot.

Such a series of key players' declarations of absence and the "team first" stance are creating considerable tension for Kim Hye-sung, who is seeking to settle in the big league this season. Like Pazs, even young talents who have already proved more than 20 home runs in the big leagues are going all-in to their team's camp.

Kim Hye-sung has also moved to Saipan since January and has been building his body early. His team, the Dodgers Spring Camp, is expected to be very important to Kim Hye-sung in the end. For Kim Hye-sung, who has to head to Japan for his WBC appearance in March, the exhibition game is expected to be a fierce "survival battlefield" where he has to prove his value beyond just adapting to the second season.

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*This content was translated by AI.