The Braves are coming back Ha-Seong Kim one-year, $20MM contract, according to the club’s announcement. The team appointed a right-hander Osvaldo Bido for the assignment to open up a 40-man roster spot. Kim, a client of the Boras Corporation, declined a $16MM player option and earned $4MM to return as Atlanta’s first shortstop.
Kim spent the final month of the 2025 season with the Braves. They said he was fired from the Rays, who were not happy about coming out under the player option. Atlanta has long been buried in the playoff picture. The move was about building a relationship with Kim in the hope that he will return next year. They preferred it to be a player option but felt that a few weeks in the clubhouse might give them the chance to re-sign him even if he is out.
Kim, a good hitter, has made a strong impression at his new club. He also hit a 10-game hitting streak in mid-September and recorded at least one hit in 15 of his first 19 contests. Kim finished on a 1-19 skid over his last five games, dropping him to a .253/.316/.368 slash line in 98 plate appearances. That was still significantly better than the .214/.290/.321 mark he posted over the same amount of playing time in an injury-riddled few months in Tampa Bay.
Overall, Kim is coming off a .234/.304/.345 slash in 48 games. The Braves feel that doesn’t represent his true talent. Kim was a top everyday player with the Padres from 2022-24. He was slightly better than the average hitter who played defense all over the place. Kim’s time in San Diego ended when he tore the labrum in his right shoulder diving into first base on a pickup attempt in August ’24. He required surgery which led to the Padres opting against making him a qualifying offer.
The Rays surprisingly won the bid for Kim last offseason, signing him to a two-year, $29MM deal with an opt-out. It was always going to be a confusing move at the low-wage club. The Rays signed Kim to a $13MM salary in the first season even though they knew he was unlikely to make an impact until a few months into the year. He didn’t make his season debut until before the All-Star Break. Calf and back issues have resulted in a partial injury list stay. While the Rays were able to release the last few weeks of Kim’s salary due to the waiver claim, they are still paying a little over $11MM for 24 games of replacement-rate production.
Kim should enter the 2026 season at full health. While his results have dipped this year, he has posted career high marks in average exit velocity and hard contact rate. That seems to give him strength in his shoulder, at least in the batter’s box. There may be even more reason to worry about defense. Kim’s arm strength dropped nearly four miles per hour this past season, according to Statcast. His arm was closer to average than the combination weapon it has been in years past, though it wasn’t to the point where the team would have concerns about his performance in the left infield. Even the post-injury version of Kim threw moderately hard Mookie Betts, Corey Seager or Taylor’s Walls – all former Gold Glove finalists at shortstop in 2025.
The Braves aren’t the only team that has viewed Kim as a strong candidate for re-signing. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the 30-year-old has rejected interest from clubs who are willing to take years to return to the market next winter. The Tigers are the only other team publicly linked to Kim this offseason, though clubs like the Giants and Pirates are known to be looking for in-house help. MLBTR had predicted that Kim would get a two-year, $30MM contract out after the first season. He chooses a high-paying one-year contract to bet on himself.
Kim returns as Atlanta’s everyday shortstop. That will suppress trade pickup Mauricio Dubón in the role of help. The Braves couldn’t give Kim a qualifying offer this offseason because they acquired him during the offseason. Assuming they don’t sell mid-season, they’ll be able to make QO next winter. That would give them the right to write compensation if he plays well enough to decline and sign elsewhere.
Atlanta has been one of the most aggressive teams in the first few months of free agency. Kim joins Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias again Mike Yastrzemski as a valuable free agent acquisition. They picked up Dubón last season in arbitration, worth $6.1MM. They have more than $245MM in guaranteed commitments for next season. They are already above this year’s Opening Day average of $208MM.
Kim’s signing also pushes them over the $244MM tax cap for the base, as calculated by RosterResource. They are about $255MM in CBT obligations. Atlanta had paid the luxury tax in 2023 and ’24 but stayed below the line this year. That resets their payment status to 2026. They are taxed at a rate of 20% on their first $20MM above the line. Currently, they have a small tax bill (about $2.2MM). Those numbers will increase throughout the season from last season and last year. The Braves still need to bolster an injury-ravaged rotation, and certainly hope to find themselves in a position to add at the trade deadline.
With Kim living in Truist Park, the shortstop market is at an all-time high Bo Bichette. Types of depth Isiah Kiner-Falefa again Willi Castro are the next best options in free agency. There are no obvious trade candidates at the position, which played a role in Atlanta’s decision to acquire a backup in Dubón to provide them with cover should Kim price himself out of their comfort zone.
Jon Heyman of The New York Post first reported that the Braves re-signed Kim to a $20MM contract, which Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic said was for one year. Photo courtesy of Jordan Godfree, Imagn Images.
