The Atlanta Braves entered MLB Free Agency with a clear need at shortstop, but their free agency hopes quickly tightened after the Braves traded for Mauricio Dubon and watched the market stall around potential top target Ha-Seong Kim. The move gave them stability. It didn’t give them certainty, and that tension now frames one of the trickiest decisions of their offseason.
Mauricio Dubon arrived from the Astros in a deal for Nick Allen, a fast, efficient strike by Alex Anthopoulos that raised the Braves' floor at the position. Dubon can defend at a high level and brings more offense than Allen ever did. He plays calm. He moves well. He understands playoff environments. But he’s not the kind of two-way shortstop who shifts the balance of a postseason series. He’s a patch when the Braves still want a pillar.
That’s why Ha-Seong Kim remains the dream fit for the Braves: disciplined at the plate, consistent on defense, and built for October pressure. But Ha-Seong Kim and agent Scott Boras plan to explore every angle of the MLB free agency market. They want time. They want bidders. And that slow pace leaves Atlanta stuck between patience and urgency as the league’s winter rhythm begins.
The Braves' search gets harder from here
Other paths are even more complicated. Bo Bichette’s defensive profile has scared teams away from viewing him as a real shortstop. Corey Seager’s contract includes Atlanta on his no-trade list, shutting that door instantly. Moving pieces for CJ Abrams or Ezequiel Tovar would require a massive package, the kind Anthopoulos rarely pushes unless he’s convinced the fit is perfect.
So the Braves turn to what they know. They can survive with Mauricio Dubon, Vidal Brujan, or Brett Wisely if their lineup rebounds and the clubhouse finds its 2025 rhythm again. They’ve done it before. But surviving isn’t the same as contending.
And now the real question echoes around Atlanta: do the Braves push harder for Kim, or risk another season with the roster’s most important spot still unsettled?
