The Braves have claimed infielder Ha-Seong Kim off waivers from the Rays, according to announcements from both clubs. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the claim prior to the official announcements. Atlanta transferred Austin Riley to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Riley is done for the season following core surgery.
It wasn’t previously reported that Kim was on waivers, but it seems the Rays quietly put him out there to try to shed his contract. Atlanta obliged, so the Rays will get out from under that deal. Tampa signed him to a two-year, $29MM pact in the winter. He is making $13MM this year, with just under $2MM left to be paid out. The second year is a $16MM player option.
That deal was the Rays betting on Kim being able to play at his usual level after shoulder surgery finished his 2024 campaign. Over the 2022 through 2024 seasons with the Padres, Kim had slashed .250/.336/.385 for a 106 wRC+. He had stolen 72 bases in that span and received strong grades for his defense at second base, third base and shortstop. FanGraphs credited him with 10.5 wins above replacement for that three-year span.
With the surgery, he was expected to be on the injured list to start 2025, which dampened his market. Some argued he was trending towards a nine-figure deal before he got hurt. Instead, he opted for the short-term, opt-out structure. Ideally, it would have worked great for both sides. If Kim had bounced back to his previous levels of performance, he could have taken the shortstop job in Tampa and then opted out. At that point, the Rays could have given him a qualifying offer and received compensation as he returned to the open market in search of a larger guarantee.
It has not played out that way. He was initially reinstated from the IL in early July. Since then, he has twice gone back on the IL due to back problems. Around the IL stints, he has played in 24 games and produced a measly .214/.290/.321 line.
Given that performance and the injury absences, it’s possible that Kim is trending towards triggering his player option. That would have put $16MM on Tampa’s books for next year. That’s not a massive sum and the Rays have very little committed to next year’s club, but they are also dealing with plenty of uncertainty.
Due to the hurricane damage to Tropicana Field, they have had to move to George Steinbrenner Field, normally a minor league facility. That move has undoubtedly led to a lot of unforeseen costs and presumably less revenue than usual. Work is still being done to get The Trop ready for 2026 and it’s unclear how that will play out. On top of all that, the franchise is actively being sold and it’s unclear what sort of payroll the new owners will give the front office as they focus on building a new stadium.
It seems they preferred to let Kim go and save some money as opposed to keeping him around and hoping for better results next year. They are 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. They are not totally buried but are likely happy to save the remainder of the money, due to those big-picture questions. They will use the remainder of the regular season to continue giving reps to shortstop prospect Carson Williams. He was promoted when Kim’s most recent IL stint started just over a week ago. Williams has big questions about his penchant for strikeouts but he clearly has power and is considered a strong defender.
Atlanta, however, is in a very different situation. They normally run one of the larger payrolls in the league. They came into 2025 seemingly hoping to duck under the competitive balance tax. Back in February, chairman Terry McGuirk said the club still had some powder dry for in-season moves.
This year has turned into a nightmare season for the club. Due to several injuries and a PED suspension for Jurickson Profar, they fell behind their competitors and were never able to recover. They currently have a 62-75 record and are 11 games back of a playoff spot.
President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has been using that dry powder to try to start working on the club’s 2026 comeback season. He acquired Tyler Kinley from the Rockies ahead of the deadline and claimed Jake Fraley off waivers from the Reds. Kinley is making $3MM this year and has a $5MM club option for next year. Fraley is making $3.125MM and will be due a raise via arbitration for 2026, his final season of club control.
Claiming Kim is a similar move but with larger numbers. As mentioned, Kim is making $13MM this year and will make $16MM next year. It’s theoretically possible that Kim gets hot down the stretch and opts out. That would make this claim go for naught, but the club would only lose a bit of money in that scenario. Presumably, they are hoping Kim decides to trigger his option and stay, so it seems they think $16MM is a fine price for betting on a bounceback next year.
It’s an interesting gambit for their middle infield, a situation that MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a close look at, in a post for Front Office subscribers. Atlanta has had Nick Allen at shortstop this year. He’s a strong defender but is essentially the worst hitter in the majors by a noticeable margin. Among guys with at least 400 plate appearances this year, Allen’s 53 wRC+ is dead last. Ke’Bryan Hayes is second-last on that list, with a 67 wRC+. Getting another shortstop and bumping Allen into a bench role seemed like a key thing on the to-do list for next year.
However, the offseason options weren’t going to be great. Bo Bichette is going to be the top free agent but Atlanta hasn’t really spent a lot in free agency lately. Under Anthopoulos, their biggest expenditure on the open market has been $65MM for Marcell Ozuna. With Bichette possibly trending towards something in the $150-200MM range, it didn’t seem like Atlanta would be the favorite to land him. Trading for someone like Trevor Story or Javier Báez may have been possible but it’s unclear if their respective clubs would make them available and they come with concerns of their own.
Rather than wait around and deal with the offseason uncertainty, Atlanta seemingly preferred to simply grab Kim now. That adds $16MM to next year’s books but they have some financial flexibility opening up. Ozuna and Raisel Iglesias are both impending free agents. Each of them individually are making $16MM this year, the same salary that Kim is set to make next year, assuming he doesn’t return to free agency.
Rosenthal notes that Kim is ready to come off the IL. That means Atlanta can use the final few weeks of the season to get a look at him. It seems they are hoping that Kim looks good but decides to trigger his option, therefore solving their shortstop question for next season.
In addition to this claim, the Rays announced that right-hander Kevin Kelly has been recalled and outfielder Richie Palacios reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Those are their two September call-up moves, with Palacios taking the 40-man spot vacated by Kim.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Interesting. When you have Vidal Brujan as your starting SS, you look anywhere.
16M player option for 2026….apologies for the double post.
100% chance he executes it
Not sure that’s true. AA isn’t an idiot and he wouldn’t have claimed him if he thought he would exercise it.
You don’t want a five WAR player?
I think he knows Kim would almost certainly exercise it and that’s probably why he claimed him.
What? He claimed him ON THE ASSUMPTION that he would exercise the option. Did you even read the article?
Then why would he claim him? For an expensive September sample in a lost season?
AA claimed Kim to be the SS in 2026. What are you smoking, Jarren?
@ThatsIT?
THat means he thinks Kim is worth less than $16m in FA. So why claim him at that dollar figure?
@raregokus That means he is assuming that Kim is worth less than $16m on the open market. So why claim him?
@Soto should bat first. If Kim is the SS in 2026 that means he is worth less than $16m in FA. So why claim him?
Trial run. Or maybe they sign him in free agency. $16 million is a small commitment. And it will be a straight $16 million with no options. That’s a small commitment for a player like Kim at 95% of his former self.
He’s s great defender. He’s miles better than Nick Allen offensively.
This is a trial run for both player and team.
Knowing Atlanta, they will have him signing a five year by June of next year.
I liked your comment Soto because I agreed w/your sound assessment of the situation. Have to say that it’s not likely AA will extend Kim simply because he’s a Boras client. Since his hiring, AA has only signed one Boras client—–Dallas Keuchel in 2019 for half the season (during Keuchel’s holdout.) Still got a laugh out of me the way you phrased that last sentence.
“Trial run.”
Worthless
“Or maybe they sign him in free agency.”
They didn’t have to claim him to do that!
“$16 million is a small commitment. And it will be a straight $16 million with no options. That’s a small commitment for a player like Kim at 95% of his former self.”
Well if he is 95% of his former self he’s declining that option.
“Knowing Atlanta, they will have him signing a five year by June of next year.”
Could have done that without claiming him.
The dumpster diving has already begun for AA. No harm in scooping him up but this is telegraphing the off-season that’s only a few weeks away for the Braves smh…please spare me this is the year ‘we shop in any aisle’ narrative again
@braveshomer — I get it, but when that aisle is Bo Bichette at Swanson-like money and not much else, I don’t mind a little variety. This is not a Nick Allen-like pick-up. And because Kim has played GG 2B, as well, he could be a safety net from Albies — if they do happen to link with Bichette (highly doubtful, esp after this).
Good points all. When Kim at 30 has a shot at being one of the better of the 2026 pickups, 1/16m for 4-5 wins, and even at 2 wins is a useful upgrade, why wouldn’t you—not to mention the positional flexibility.
@JackStrawb Because the Braves aren’t contending and because Kim is the one who decides whether that 1/$16m option gets exercised and in practice he will do the opposite of what his team’s GM wants him to do with it.
@braveshomer: There isn’t much to be had in the shortstop aisle this off season. Bichette probably won’t be a SS much longer and the contract he’ll be seeking will be too expensive for a 2Bman. No thanks on him anyway. Put Kim in the “there’s no such thing as a bad 1 year contract” if he exercises his player option.
We keep saying that every year, but we’ve missed out on Swanson, Seager, Adames, Bogaerts, and now it’s Bichette? At what point do we stop saying this isn’t the year to sign a SS?….Even if a 5-year stud SS hits the open market it’s not like the Braves are gonna sign him anyways smh
@braveshomer — Are any of those contracts good? Seriously. Most of them already look sunk. I imagine they have the same approach to an inflated SS FA market as they have with the inflated SP market. Grow from within then find valuable contracts, if thinking outside of the box (i.e. Reynaldo Lopez signed as a RP converted into SP, Sale’s sunken deal/extend him before throwing 1st pitch for new team, extend Strider, etc.).
@rundmc…its easy to say that with Hindsight. The Braves haven’t home-grown SS talent in a very long time. At some point you need to accept they aren’t very good at it. Gimme, Bichette who was or is the league leader in hits with average defense over Allen who’s a stud defensively. At some point you stat junkies need to accept one or the other. And I’m ok personally with average defense vs. a black hole in the lineup.
@ braves homer
Which of Swanson, Adames, Bogaerts, Baez, or Correa contracts do you wish on the Braves? Lucked out seems more appropriate than missed out. Only Seager has an argument for being close to worth it. Even he is over paid. $16MM is not a lot in FA these days. Worth a risk when you don’t have a SS.
@stymeedone I didn’t include Trae Turner or Baez on the list cuz I thought Swanson was still a Brave at the time? And forgot all about Correa and his chronich foot issues…but I’ll bite…
Swanson, Bogaerts, Correa, Baez, Turner, Seager, Bichette, Adames, etc. have had better seasons than Nick Allen and Arcia combined?
@braveshomer — For context though, they had sanctions for years preventing them from international free agents (via Coppygate), reduced MLB First-Year Draft picks and mostly took pitchers since Coppy was around, and AA has continued. In the last 15 years, they’ve taken 2 SS in the 1st round (Lipka, Shewmake). Considering that is a position that the most athletics players play, they sometimes are moved around. Point is — they haven’t had many opportunities to grow a SS from within. And I’d say that Swanson wasn’t a finished product when they got him, considering he was a Dback in name only (for a few months). I’m not saying ATL can grow a SS, but they haven’t been given a lot of ammunition until this most recent Draft (Southsiene, Lodise in first 2 rds).
I don’t consider myself a stats junkie, but I also think there’s A LOT of other avenues to improve at SS without paying a premium rate for ‘average’ (arguably) defense that Bo represents for the 25-27M AAV he’ll be commanding.
Swanson (fWAR): 2.7 for $25.29M AAV (2025)
Bogaerts (fWAR): 3.0 for $25.45M AAV
Correa (fWAR): 1.9 for $31.18M AAV
Baez (fWAR): 1.3 for $23.33M AAV
Turner (fWAR): 6.2 for $27.27M AAV
Seager (fWAR): 4.0 for $32.5M AAV
*Bichette (fWAR): 3.2 for $11.2M AAV (*via arb)
Adames (fWAR): 3.3 for $26M AAV
*Nick Allen (fWAR): 0.7 for $780k AAV
Considering the savings, I’d think they’re just fine with the investment when you see the alternatives. Turner is the only one providing value this year (if you consider $7M per 1 WAR in free agency), while Seager isn’t too far off.
Stop with the international sanctions and the dang excuses man sheesh!!! lol…You’ve gotta except who the Braves are. They aren’t players in Free Agency and haven’t been since they signed Derek Lowe and BJ Upton as their biggest free agent in club history geez
@braveshomer — Excuses…lol. Are you the only one that doesn’t know ATL only drafts pitchers for the last 15+ years? I agree with you that they’re probably not great at developing SS, but I’m trying to look into why that might be…and not having a lot of chances (i.e. draft picks, int’l free agents, etc.) to develop should be considered. Take in mind that’s also during the years that they had one of the greatest fielding coaches ever (Wash) teaching and pretty much matured Swanson, Albies, Riley. I really don’t know what you’re going on about about free agency. I’ve never said they were and don’t think they would. So I’ll take that as misdirection or lost in translation.
Would have liked to sign Trea Turner but he wanted more money than Atlanta was wiling to spend and maybe he didn’t want to play in Atlanta anyway.
7M per WAR is now more like 9-10M per WAR
Prior to the injury Kim was every bit the player Swanson is and the Braves are lucky to perhaps have him at a discount. He should have a normal off-season to prepare for 2026. It’s about the best you could strive to do.
Why did those SS get so much money in the first place? Because teams are desperate for SS. That being the case you would stay away from playing the market at that position and just try to be creative to be as close to league average as you can get. Or else you are gonna blow your payroll up making bad deals that would lead to an actual need to rebuild, as opposed to the fictional narrative that is playing out in your head.
Trea Turner with 6 fWar? lmf… Sounds like they need to rethink their model formula. In no realm should he ever have more War than guys like Ohtani. Regardless of Ohtani’s sub par defense.
Then there’s the fact that Bichette hasn’t been a SS in 2025… Wow, he’s been bad there.
More accurate to say you dodged a howitzer shell by not topping the high bid for Bogaerts, and while Adames has been competent this year, who would sign him for his age 30-35 seasons for the remaining 6/156m?
@2029braves
Sometimes top tens are strong. Sometimes they are weak. If you’re not a strong all around player, it doesn’t matter if you’re top ten. You are not worth $25MM.
You were one of the morons begging for Kim all offseason. You get your wish and you complain? Pick a different team to cheer for.
Regret that I can only rec this comment once Sid.
@sidbream…I never once begged for Kim? Unless you’re referencing someone else but it definitely wasn’t me….That being said I don’t hate the pickup
@braveshomer: I thought he was talking about 2029Braves/Rebuild 2025 (same guy.)
lol — I nodded a bit reading this. I was one of the ones hoping Kim would somehow fall to them. Now, he’s an open box special and some cry at the discount.
A Braves fan should understand the potential value of team friendly extensions. Why a braves fan would be upset they didn’t give 30 something’s hundreds of millions is a mystery. Maybe more of a fan of complaining? And there’s no hindsight. These contracts rarely work out and some of these very obviously had almost zero chance of working out.
Correct. Replies show up funny. Not you Braveshomer.
Narrative aside, Kim is a pretty good and effective SS for a year and in 27 the Braves will have a home grown SS ready to go. My vote is Gil but others could be there. This is a decent shrewd move.
@Braves83: One year stopgap. If he can stay healthy enough to play 120-140 games, he’ll be worth that deal. Only needs to reach 2 WAR or a bit better to be equal value.
I agree that Kim is a pretty good SS and a definite upgrade but I’m not seeing any homegrown talent ready by ’27. Gil?? I don’t think so. Just playing it year to year for now I guess.
Alex Lodise should be ready by 2027 and he will hold the fort until Tate Southisene is ready in 28 or 29
Can’t assume either of them will ever even make the majors, let alone pencil them into starting roles on a competitive high payroll team.
Pencils have erasers. You don’t devote 1st and 2nd rd picks to guys that flame out in A-ball and hit below the Mendoza line vs. quality competition. Things will change from now until then, but I don’t think anyone’s Plan A involves paying someone $200M to debate whether they’ll move off SS in Year 2 because they’re just not that good.
Braves Homer-I’m not sure how Kim can be considered dumpster diving. He figures to be very good. The issue is getting him to stay. From that perspective, it makes sense. AA now had exclusive talking rights for a couple of months.
Wait, hold up. We DFA’d Kim? When did that happen?
He wasn’t DFAd, he was put on irrevocable waivers instead of outright waivers, that way they could keep him if no one claimed him.
Jeez, I missed that news. Last I heard he was getting close to coming back off the IL making Williams’ spot tenuous. I had no idea the Rays did this. Kind of bummed, I liked Kim.
There was no news to miss: the waiver wire is not public and only reported on when leaked. This claim is the only reason we know he was put on waivers at all.
so you’d rather give starts to a guy with limited upside and is always injured over your top prospect who has started well, in a year you are not going to the playoffs?
Nice guy but he couldn’t stay healthy and at $15 mil or whatever, it made sense with Williams on board now.
Kim isn’t limited to SS. He could’ve rotated at 3B, SS, 2B, and maybe even 1B given his brief experience there in the KBO. But for a Rays team with limited payroll, his salary was probably prohibitive for a utility guy.
The article mentions it wasn’t previously reported, so you didn’t miss anything! I understand the disappointment, Kim is a nice player.
“Jeez I missed..I liked Kim”…I like Kim too, but not at the $15M/yr level. I was shocked that the Rays signed him to that deal.
The Tampa Rays have a rather magical ability to shed bad contracts and make over their very few contractual mistakes.
For the Rays getting at bats for Carson is more important. If Brandon returns next season Kim would have been a very expensive “bounce back” backup at $16mil.
Wow. A good player they just gave away.
where do you play him? Trade deadline is passed. Bad signing, period.
The rays have spent way too much money lately on injured guys with the hope they will come back full strength. Small market teams can’t afford to have payroll tied up on the IL.
The small market part is why they made this deal. They were hoping for upside. Would have traded him next year anyway.
How’s it make sense to pay a premium and pay for the guys recovery and risk being stuck with him sunk cost. They paid for some pitchers recently recovering from TJ, they need to keep what little money they have on the field.
“A good player they just gave”…I’m guessing that the Rays’ track record of player acquisitions and transactions is a bit more extensive than your own.
If he manages to “bounce back” in 2026. If not then a smart move by Neander.
Pennies: pinched. Nice little parting gift, Stu.
This was probably the only time they were going to get anyone to take on that underwater contract.
The Carson Williams era is underway.
he’s injured all the time, does very little when he is in…they should never have signed him ffs. This isn’t about pinching pennies lol, but “narrative”.
He was really bad with the rays but Stu has to keep those pennies to put that towards his bank account
smart by the rays and it worked out. they have no need for Kim next year and he is definitely not getting 16m in the market so he’s exercising that option.
smart by the rays to dump him, but why sign him in the first place? Putting out a fire you started does not make you a hero…
they likely figured he may improve his value and could be a trade asset at the deadline, or at the least help if junior didn’t pan out, Carson wasn’t ready or Lowe was hurt. but with Williams being ready and Lowe not being injured and having a great season and junior showing he can handle pitching, there’s no place for Kim and he was not worth holding on to for that money to sit most days.
No risk. Imagine him not going on the DL a few times when coming back. Williams is ready.
If he’s not getting $16m on the market why was he claimed?
Because he was likely to not be available at all if not claimed. In the off season, he would cost players in trade, though TB would likely include some cash, and you would have to beat other bidders. Other than Bichette, there’s no starting SS available in FA. Volpe might be available, but he’s not much of an upgrade, and will cost players back in trade as well. This is a quick, not overly expensive fix for one year.
@stymeedone…
“Because he was likely to not be available at all if not claimed.”
No they could have traded for him or just signed him if he declined his option!
“In the off season, he would cost players in trade…”
No the cheapo Rays would just let the Braves take him for nothing as long as they get out from under the contract.
“… and you would have to beat other bidders.”
Exactly how many other bidders do you think Kim would have had? We already know that at least 5 teams passed on claiming him.
“This is a quick, not overly expensive fix for one year.”
But it could have been cheaper if we take MoneyBallJustWorks’s statement as gospel.
@stymeedone if Ha-Seong Kim at $16m is the type of asset that would trigger a bidding war he’s 100% declining the player option.
How bout Kim @ $10MM, or $8MM? The Rays pickup a good portion of the contract to get a better return is a likely scenario. Most teams don’t see Bichette as a long term SS, and/or won’t be in the bidding due to price. Toronto and NYY could have been interested. LAD likes injury prone players, and could return Mookie to the OF. He could also cover 2B or be a super sub. There would be teams interested.
They wouldn’t get a good return. All the Braves have to do is agree to eat more of the contract than everyone else which they are clearly willing to do seeing as they claimed him.
The prospect(s) they would have to give up would be worth less than the money saved. If that statement does not hold true, KIm is opting out.
Oh, there’s definitely a chance that some team would throw $16 million his way next year. The penny-pinching Rays gave him $13 million this year knowing that he would miss a significant number of games.
Could be a smart move by the Braves, but I’m not convinced. Kim’s closing in on his 30th birthday and the injuries are piling up. It’s a lot of money, after all.
But still, a lot more upside than Nick Allen.
Who should the Braves acquire to play SS?
I’m sad it didn’t work out, but Carson Williams is the SS of the future. This gets us out from this contract so we can get young / healthy at SS. Hopefully it lets us retain and (I’m going out on a limb here) resign Lowe. New ownership can’t come soon enough.
Yeah, Atlanta picked him up for that playoff push… Oh wait…
Sick burn bro…
What a waste of a signing, roster spot, and money. The Rays had Walls and Caballero, with the top prospect in AAA ready to come up…and they signed Kim? Another in a long list of bad signings/trades by the current RFO, it is no coincidence this will be the second year in a row outside the playoffs.
Agree. Their FO hasn’t been the same since Bendix, Click, Bloom, and a lot of their other front office people have been poached. They’ve had a lot more misses than hits lately.
Yeah, that signing made no sense at all for them.
Magnum can replace Jose and his steals. A Williams/Walls at SS in 2026 for the Rays. Jose offered no power.
Between Jansen and Kim they shed about 30 mil. : Houser?
16 for one year is a lot different than 25 for a plethora of years
$25 million per year for a .250 hitter?
No thanks! I hope the best for Kim.
Dans makes 28 to be the Cubs 8th hitter. Great D and some powah esp at wrigley. 28 million……for a long time.
‘AA is the worst GM in the league’ — oh boy, my heart aches for the pillow you scream into. How fans around the league wish they had a GM that ‘dumb-lucked’ their way into a WS. Honestly, who cares how it happened? It was followed up by a 2023 historic offensive season, and bad luck ever since.
‘That year wasn’t good GM work’ — by what measure? They won the World Series and did something no team in history has ever done…being under .500 in August and then winning the whole thing. And that same year they lost their best player and presumed MVP finalist (Acuña) when he went down. And won the whole thing…! It really says something that even when they achieve the success, there are ‘fans’ that won’t give them props because they didn’t do it their way. Goodness. Find another team and be the cinderblock for their fanbase.
@Run DMC: Rebuild 2025 changed his screen name when he got banned, but his rant’s remain the same.
I feel sad for you. I really do. I am sorry you feel so much it has twisted the facts to these nonsensical vents. Dans is not worth the money he is being paid. I am glad he got his bag. Dans plays in the same city as his girl, good for him. By 27 the Braves will have a home grown SS. It is not about not liking Dans it is just in this market he is over paid. AA did not break the bank on Dans one great year. I am sorry you don’t see AA as a top 5 GM.
“….his rants…..” Not sure where I got that bad apostrophe.
Did you just get a new thesaurus?
Plethora is not the word you would use here.
Not signing Josh Donaldson was definitely a smart decision by AA.
Sad tiny human, please cheer for another team.
This is a really stupid comparison. First of all it’s a 16 million player option. Second, it’s one year. Swanson is more than 25 million a year for the next 4. I still will never understand Braves fans and their obsession with overpaying players into their down years because of “feelings”.
only the dumb ones
If the Braves did sign these guys and had no more money to spend then they’d be complaining about the team blowing all their money on a couple of overpriced FAs.
@Getgone2: 2029Braves/Rebuild 2025 (and his other screen names) doesn’t speak for Braves fans. Certainly doesn’t for me.
@getgone
Do you truly feel its just Braves fans? Drop the team name and it would still be accurate.
This site is becoming unbearable with those ads that encompass the perimeter of your screen. I can handle the other ones but these ones are godawful
Try the “Brave” browser
The Braves have been desperate for a SS upgrade since Dansby left. They were never gonna spend the money to get any of the top free agent options. I wanted them to sign Kim last offseason. Hopefully he gets healthy and is back to his productive self next year.
Kim is an interesting lottery ticket. He played really well in SD.
But it’s a $16 million lottery ticket so in surprised Atlanta took him.
…I like the odds better than the 17M Kelenic lottery ticket. As they promote AAA OF around him to leave him languishing in Gwinnett. Whew!
LOL at not moving on. 28 other teams didn’t pay Swanson 25M AAV, but Braves are the only ones being called out for it? Congrats on his bat barely being average this year (108 OPS+), but his defense has taken a significant step back in Year 3 with only 2 OAA (17 in ’24).
Kim is 3 years younger than Swanson and when healthy, his bat is more consistent (with a batter OBP), while great defense. This is the same formula as Chris Sale (minus giving up a prospect), in paying some for the risk because of their upside.
There is risk involved, but like Sale, there could also be a lot of value. There is NO value in Swanson’s deal.
The Cubs have gotten 13.1 bWAR from Swanson since 2023. I’d say that’s pretty good value.
Let’s revisit it as a 34 and 35 y/o SS
Well, yeah. Predicting is hard, especially when it involves the future. But Swanson is hardly showing obvious signs of decline. He’s got a .720 OPS in what has become a brutal park for hitters. Check Wrigley’s recent park factors if you don’t believe me.
I also don’t buy the decline story about his glove. Baseball Reference sees no decline at all as Swanson is closing in on a five WAR year. From the eye test, I agree. Swanson still looks like a really good shortstop.
Sure, he could fall off a cliff next year. But there’s little or no indication of imminent doom.
@CaseyAbell — IMHO, BR does not do a good job of quantifying defense, which is why you can look at Fangraphs and there is so much difference in his fWAR of 2.7 vs. bWAR (4.0). Defense has been his saving grace (thank you, Wash), but his bat has always been the detriment (it took 6 full seasons before he ever his average 100 OPS+ in ATL). He’s been better offensively than last season, but not as much of an increase as the decrease in his defense. He’s battled through some injuries this year, but that could mean an alarming trend on someone about to hit 32 y/o.
That being said, CHC was fine with an overpay, because he has a lot of intangibles and a great piece to build around for their incoming prospects.
The Braves will have to sell Girl Scout Cookies and Lemonade at their recently acquired office buildings to help with the $16M owed to Kim next year. This must be from the dry powder to spend they were talking about way before the trade deadline.
You lookin’ for a hook-up on some dry powder? I know a guy….
Who said he’d get a 9 figure salary…that’s ridiculous?!
Kim was well on his way to a high-8/low-9 figure deal before the shoulder injury. 3.5-4 WAR/yr SS entering his age-29 season would’ve been one of the top position player FAs last yeaf
I dig the guy. Still not a 100 million dollar player…
To be fair though Kim is only 1 year for the $16m next year. While Swanson is $25m a year for 7 years.
Some scream for the Rays to sign higher priced free agents, yet every time they do, it’s a disaster. They were fortunate to get out from under Kim’s.
It was apparent that by not trading Brandon “particularly terrible this year” Lowe and the other members of the MLBTR Three (or Four if you throw in a starting pitcher from column A) the team was looking at a one-year competitive window in ’26. A fully healed Kim would be great , but with that and the Jansen money they might be able to lengthen their lineup or get a serviceable starter to replace Littell. At this point there’s no proof one way or another on Williams as an immediate asset but with Kim gone there are a lot more ways to win.
The Kim contact wasn’t “odd” any more than Jansen’s, which has worked out fine.. Kim’s 16 will come in handy.
The Braves didn’t want to pay Swanson $25M per season for SEVEN years. Good thing too. Lol at you for not understanding the Cubs would shed his underwater deal in a heartbeat if they had the chance. Rebuild 2025 at it again.
No way the Braves pay Kim 16 million next year. He will probably be released. Just seeing what he can do these last few weeks.
They can’t release him w/out paying him if Kim exercises his player option Mercenary.
Braves obviously hoping he opts in for 2026. As long as medicals are fine it could work out well.
If they are hoping he opts in for 2026 it is guaranteed he won’t.
Still a month left in season so no guarantees. They can give him new contract. Qualifying offer. Or just let him leave.
No they can not give him a qualifying offer! Only players who spent the entire regular season with just 1 team are eligible for the QO. Go away non-ball knower.
Thanks but already knew that. Why I said they are hoping he opts in. But it could be more than 1 year thing. They are famous for their extensions or could give him qualifying offer.
Again. If they don’t claim him they can sign him in FA if he opts out (which they are going to have to do anyway if he opts out) or if he opts in they can get the Rays to attach $/prospects in exchange for them taking Kim.
What if another team wants him? What if Rays say well if we are paying for him might as well keep him. Maybe they even want to keep him but didn’t think he would use his player option. A lot of What ifs that are avoided by claiming him. I don’t know what move was right or how it will play out.
“What if another team wants him?”
Then he’s declining the player option.
“What if Rays say well if we are paying for him might as well keep him.”
I didn’t say get the Rays to take the whole contract. More like $2m of it.
“Maybe they even want to keep him but didn’t think he would use his player option.”
If you don’t think he will use his player option then why would you claim a rental when you are out of the race?
“A lot of What ifs that are avoided by claiming him.”
Actually none of them are. I’ve proven this. Players with player options are functionally rentals which means teams that aren’t contending have no use for them and they are actually worse than rentals because the only time that player option gets exercised is when the team doesn’t want it to be.
You’re impossible to have a conversation with. Straight over your head. Bye
If he’s the type of player that the Braves are seriously worried about other teams claiming him or outbidding them for his services in the offseason then he’s also the type of player who will decline his player option. Easy and simple.
Jim Bowden was saying Kim could get a QO from braves at the end of next year.
Padres didn’t extend him one so if he exercises his player option and isn’t traded or waived during the 2026 season then yes, that option would be on the table for ATL.
They don’t have a choice. If he exercises his player option the Braves are on the hook for it no matter what.
“Lol at paying Kim $16″…So, they won’t do a bad signing and you wonder why they won’t do an even worse signing by tethering themselves to a $25M/yr contract for a decent, but not spectacular player?
By the way how many World Series has your team won or played in the last 5-8 years?
Will Kim actually decline his option and head into free agency with what may be less than 50 games played this season and expect to make more than the $16 million he would get with option? Could be a nice early off-season present for the Braves
The fact that the Braves claimed him (knowing that he has a $16m player option) says it wouldn’t be too surprising if he does.
I guess the Bo Bichette dream is dead. Where else can they upgrade offensively in the offseason? Maybe 2B and DH.
Albies looks like he’s close to fully recovering from his broken wrist. It’s taken a year, but Hyer mentioned recently that Albies has regained most of the strength back. He’s been tearing the cover off the ball recently. They’ll exercise his option. Bo Bichette dream? Might have been a nightmare being stuck w/the deal he’s probably going to get in free agency—-especially the length of it. DH? Can see that as possibility. Hope they don’t count on Murphy as half of a DH time share. Wondering if Acuna gets time @DH w/Baldwin and the Braves sign a decent 4th of’er.
Schwarber at DH would be awesome.
If you need a 2B, why would the Bichette dream be dead? Either of Kim or Bichette could play 2B.
Could be a rare situation in which everyone wins. Kim triggers his option, plays well for ATL, Tampa happy to not spend, etc.
They can use that money for the roof at the Trop! $16M can probably get them some tarps and a million rolls of FLEX TAPE!
It’s a player option. The Braves can’t win from it. The only time a player doesn’t exercise a player option is when you need him to. It’s quite simple really and can be backed up with numerous examples from literally every team that has ever given a player a player option/opt-out.
Most times, the player can beat the deal in FA. I don’t think Kim will beat $16MM for next season. If he bets on himself, he opts in, gets paid next year, stays healthy and then signs a long term.
So the Braves could have paid him less by not claiming him and then trading for him in the offseason. Another team claiming him wouldn’t be a concern because you admit he’s not beating $16m in FA and claiming him means you have to pay that.
This article taught me who millionaire Tyler Kinley is. Well done.
1/16 is a decent deal for HSK considering the slim pickings at SS. Maybe the medicals are a mess, but id have thought TB could’ve flipped him for something this off-season
If he had enough value that they could’ve flipped him for something then he would decline the player option.
I mean his value is at least equal to 1/16, or the Braves wouldn’t have picked him up considering they are out of it this year.
If that’s the case TB wouldn’t be able to flip him for anything in the offseason because he’d be a FA.
This move doesn’t make much sense to me considering if you believe Kim is declining the option the Braves have no use for him because they are out of it and if you believe he is exercising it then that by definition means he’s worth less than $1/16m which means the Braves are dumb for claiming him at that dollar figure.
What a poor gamble
Seriously though? Why? We had waiver rescue Nick Allen have one of the best gloves and worst bats in MLB for next to nothing. Nothing ready to produce on the farm at the position for the next 2 years. I’d be shocked if they weren’t connected to him in the offseason. If they’re ok with his medicals (long term), AA is fine doling out more in the front-end (not unlike paying 17M to gamble on Kelenic that looks like a major loss). While I wouldn’t allow AA to gamble for me, I don’t mind him taking these risks on not my money.
@Huh
A poor gamble is $15MM for Alex Cobb, after an injury filled season.
Damn. I was hoping the Tigers would sign him in the offseason and it would have been great if they could have grabbed him now to replace Sweeney. Good move by the Braves for 2026.
Wouldn’t have been able to sign him in the offseason anyway.
Last offseason.
No need. They are still stuck with Baez. McGonigle is coming, and McKinstry has shown he can fill in.
I see this a good deal for both teams. TB has Carson Williams as a top prospect ready to take over at SS. The Braves were never going to spend near $200M for Bichette, who is no longer a good fielder at SS. There aren’t any other good Shortstop free agents. If Kim can provide even league average hitting with his excellent fielding, he will be worth $16M easily. By acquiring Kinley, Fraley and Kim recently, the Braves are positioning themselves to be a much deeper team in 2026.. The Braves are not waiting until after the World Series to start rebuilding their team for 2026.
Smart of Neander. He has a player option for next year. The only time a player doesn’t exercise a player option is when you need him to.
It’s possible that the Braves try and rework his deal by adding a yr and guaranteeing a 2yr deal for less AAV. Like 2/25 at 12.5 per. It would give him some security, decent money and give the Braves 2 more yrs to develop their next SS out if the 5 or so they just drafted. Take that slight savings to add back in to the BP.
Spot on, but I think they’re also fine with the 1/16M (if he exercises his player option) giving a full year for 2025 Rd 2 Draft pick Alex Lodise in MiLB ball.
Not a bad notion from the Braves’ perspective but Kim will be 31 when he’s a free agent in two winters. May be his last shot at landing a big contract. Or he could take the guaranteed money security the Braves offer him. $12.5/year is unlikely to get him to extend.
But would Boras let him is the question.
Shoulder labrum surgery has a tricky recovery. Just ask Michael Conforto, another Boras client. Most never rebound back from it to old form. If they offer enough, Boras might “let” him sign.
Both are overpays. Swanson isn’t worth his contract, either.
And we wonder why small-mid market teams try to avoid free agency. This is a relatively cheap deal but a waste of limited funds.
For Atlanta? They just started Nick Allen at SS all year. This is a lot better way to speculative spend payroll than all those convoluted roster churn salary absorption trades AA made to get Kelenic. It’s a lot easier to find a left fielder than a decent SS.
Smart Double A play.
Chances are good this will work out well
“Due to injuries and a PED suspension…they fell behind their competitors”. Well..that and some awful play.
Dfa Nick Allen clubhouse cancer
I haven’t seen one report indicating Nick Allen was a clubhouse cancer. Just curious what source you are basing that opinion?
Smacky’s just trolling, southi. It’s what he does on here.
Very strange move. The Braves are out of the race so they have no use for him in 2025 and then his 2026 option is a player option which means there is no upside for the team with that option.
He’ll pick up the option since he just had a wasted year. If he were to decline it and sign somewhere else the Braves would get a compensatory pick. It’s a solid move considering the organizational SS situation.
Doesn’t the player have to be on that teams roster for the full season to get that compensatory pick?
@GabeOfThrones His stats and injury history this year say he will pick it up but the Braves claiming him says he won’t. They only claim him if they think he has surplus value at $16m and if he has surplus value at $16m that means he can do better in FA and if he can do better in FA then he probably declines the player option.
And no. The Braves don’t get any compensatory pick if Kim leaves. A player must spend the entire season with one team to be QO eligible.
Braves need Ha-seong Kim to be an asset, not just this year but in 2026. The Braves also need Kim to enjoy his time in Atlanta. I could be wrong, but I can’t remember the last time Atlanta had an Asian born player on their roster since Kenshin Kawakami several years ago. Atlanta needs to be looked at as a positive destination for some of the talent coming out of the Pacific area (of course they will never measure up with places like LA or Seattle).
If they need him to be an asset in 2026 it’s guaranteed he declines the player option.
I am fine with a defensive starting shortstop like Nick Allen. Remember Blauser?
I might be wrong on this Merc, but I remember Blauser as being a bat first SS that was often replaced for defensive purposes late in games by Rafael Belliard.
Jeff Blauser was (for a SS) quite decent with the bat, while only around league average defensively. In fact for his career Blauser was slightly better than a league average hitter overall.
Rafael Belliard would be an example of a glove first SS similar to Allen.
Guys like Andres Thomas and Rafael Ramirez were sadly really good at neither.
$16 million
$177 million
Compare and contrast!
I see Kim opting in on the player option at $16m as his additional injuries have likely hurt his upside potential on next contract if he opts out. It would seem Braves are very ok with him opting in and likely prefer he does as it would make zero sense to claim him and pay $ this year for somebody currently injured and hope he opts out. The Braves have a large hole at short seems injury history at 3rd and 2nd which KIm can play both and the $ are a wash with the Ozuna contract that ends this year.
If the Braves would prefer he opts in it’s 100% he’s opting out.
Mr Tennis Racket,
You are a one trick pony. To help your short term memory, let me just say that you’ve said that already.
And I’ll keep saying it until everyone stops pretending it isn’t true.
The article talks about all this. Why comment?
The only reason for the Braves to make this claim is that they feared a contending team would claim him. Contending teams had to claim Kim before Sept. 1 for him to be post-season eligible. That’s not an issue for the Braves. They would have been better off waiting a couple of weeks, wacthing how Kim did after he was activted and,if he looked good, called up Tampa and said: “if you put Kim on waivers again, we will claim him”. In addition to getting more information, that would have saved $1M. No reason Tampa wouldn’t have been happy to waive him then if they wanted to waive him now. Braves must have worried that the Dodgers or Yankees (have you noticed how Volpe’s been doing lately?) might grab him. Meanwhile, let’s hope no one in the TBR front office dislocated a shoulder high fiving about this claim.
He has a player option due in 2 months. Player options are pure downside for a team. Another team (especially a rival) claiming Kim would have been GLORIOUS for the Braves.
I don’t think so. A team claiming Kim for the stretch run might have been happy to have him declare free agency for next season. But the Braves clearly wanted him for next season — they certainly have nothing to play for this season — and were willing to risk $2 million for the chance of him opting in. Objectively, they may have been better off not claiming Kim (and perhaps letting him go elsewhere), But the Braves clearly don’t think so.
If they want him for next season at $16m they’re not going to get him for next season at $16m. Player options. Pure downside for the team.
ITT: People who don’t understand how player options work
If a player on your team has a player option, always assume that he will do the opposite of what you would prefer he does with it.
Sound advice, sadly.
Should he opt in, you are really going to look foolish.
Actually the Braves will.
I wanted AA to sign Kim at the start of the season, I admit it.
Even though he’s coming off shoulder surgery, injuries take time for the player to get back to ‘normal’. Shoulder surgery is no joke, any surgery is no joke. I can see Kim coming good(I hope). Nick Allen is a marvellous short stop but he is an auto out. Nacho is a better hitter by far.
I like Kim, I hope he comes good, he could be like Ozzie with his hand/wrist, it has taken time for him to really swing the bat like he is capable of. One can only hope that Kim can ‘right’ his shoulder and be the Kim that played for the Padres. No one is losing anything by signing Kim, he surely can’t hit worse than Nick Allen, and he is an excellent defender that can also pinch bags if he gets on. Regardless of what happens, and whether Kim comes good, it is a good move by AA.
The Braves fans that are critical of it should go and stand in the corner or find another team to follow and whine about.
The real issue is DH, who knows how banged up Ozuna’s hip still is….
I’d love to have Tucker, but he will cost big bucks.
The other issue is what will they do about Iggy, let him walk or re-sign him to a lesser deal, early on he wasn’t good, but he has been good the second half. I just pray for a season with no injuries to the starters, I know it’s a lot to ask. Reynaldo should probably go to the pen.