Ha-Seong Kim signed a 1-year contract with the Atlanta Braves on Monday to return to the team after ending the 2025 campaign in Atlanta. Kim began his career with the San Diego Padres, playing four seasons and establishing himself as a fan favorite. After his contract expired, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays ahead of the 2025 season. Kim was eventually waived and picked up by the Braves to be the new shortstop.
The 30-year-old shortstop is one of the best defensive players in the game. His glove is a magnet, and he has the reaction time to throw you out with a strike from anywhere on the field. Kim won a Gold Glove as a utility player with the Padres in 2023, dominating at both shortstop and second base.
According to a story from The Athletic, there was a team that was willing to pay a good price for Kim, and that was the Athletics. The Athletics are not known to spend money at all; however, they offered him around $48 million with “room to grow.”
“The Athletics tried for free agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, offering him a four-year, $48 million contract with room to grow, according to a person briefed on the discussions. Kim, 30, instead opted for a one-year, $20 million deal with the Atlanta Braves, and the chance to return to the open market next season.”
The A's wanted to play him at second base as one of the stars of the team, Jacob Wilson, is currently the team's shortstop.
“The A’s plan for Kim was to play him almost entirely at second base. He also could have filled in at shortstop if Jacob Wilson missed time with injuries. But now that Kim is off the board, the A’s likely will need to address their needs at second and third base through trade. The remaining free-agent infielders – from Bo Bichette to Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto – are expected to be out of their price range.”
