The Braves took care of the shortstop position by bringing back Ha-Seong Kim on a one-year deal worth $20 million, a signing that earned a B+ grade from Bradford Doolittle over at ESPN.
“If this seems like an inflated grade for a player who feels a bit overpaid coming off an injury-riddled season of 0.3 bWAR, I direct you to last week’s assessment of Atlanta’s deal with Mike Yastrzemski, where I wrote, “you like the options that new Atlanta manager Walt Weiss will have at his disposal, especially if the Braves find a solution at short that would shift Mauricio Dubon into the super-utility role he’s best suited for.”
That solution turns out to be Ha-Seong Kim, who held the position over the final month of last season before declining his one-year, $16 million option for 2026. Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Kim had multiyear offers on the table so, given that leverage, Atlanta ends up paying a $4 million premium to retain Kim’s services above the option-year payout.”
$20 million for what Ha-Seong Kim provided last season is undoubtedly a massive overpay. However, it was a desperate need for the Braves, and with so few viable options on the market, getting this deal done is still a big win. Kim allows Mauricio Dubon to slide into a super-utility role, where he should thrive, and it’s not as if Atlanta’s new shortstop comes without upside.
Prior to his injury-plagued 2025 campaign, Kim averaged 3.8 WAR per season from 2021–2024. He graded out as an elite defensive shortstop, winning a Gold Glove in 2023, and was an above-average offensive contributor as well, which is going to feel like watching Alex Rodriguez after enduring a full season of Nick Allen at the plate.
“The Braves limped through the 2025 season with Nick Allen getting the most time at short, and while he’s a solid defender, his OPS+ at the dish was an unplayable 53. Kim is in Allen’s class as a defender and has many more viable offensive attributes. After the season, Anthopoulos moved quickly to deal him for Dubon, who now indeed will have the leeway to move around the field as Weiss requires. This of course assumes that Kim is healthy. When he is, he’s an above-average big league infielder and legit defensive shortstop.”
$20 million could still turn out to be an overpay for Ha-Seong Kim if he doesn’t revert back to the level of play he showcased over his first four seasons in the majors, but as they say, there is no such thing as a bad one-year deal in baseball. The fact the Braves were able to get this done without offering a multi-year contract is a massive win and has their roster — from a position player standpoint — looking very formidable heading into the new year.
—
Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
