It was basically a foregone conclusion that the Atlanta Braves would be running it back with Orlando Arcia at shortstop in 2025. However, some fans held out hope that the team would upgrade the position at some point this winter if the opportunity presented itself.
Sadly, that dream all but died yesterday afternoon when the final realistic upgrade signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. Ha-Seong Kim was the second best shortstop on the free agent market this winter, after Willy Adames who signed a record deal with San Francisco. Like Adames, the former Padre has found a new home for the upcoming 2025 season. Now the only notable shortstops that remained unsigned are Paul DeJong and Jose Iglesias. That alone all but confirms the Braves will be rolling with Orlando Arcia once again in 2025.
Infielder Ha-Seong Kim and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a two-year, $29 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN. Kim is coming off shoulder surgery but is expected to return in May and slated to take over at shortstop.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 29, 2025
Braves bypass Ha-Seong Kim, commit to Arcia in 2025
Kim has long been an underrated player for most of his career. After posting 7.8 fWAR from 2022-2023 Kim battled injuries during his last season in San Diego. Ultimately, Kim had to undergo shoulder surgery in August of 2024, thus really hampering his market this winter. Because Kim is expected to miss at least the first month of 2025, committing to him long-term was a no-go for every team in baseball.
Instead Kim landed a pretty savvy deal with Tampa Bay, where he is guaranteed at least $29 million should he struggle to recover, but also worked in an opt-out clause should he play well and want to cash-in next offseason.
As for the Braves they will hold out hope Orlando Arcia plays closer to the 2023 version of himself rather than the 2024. Once the lineup is back at full strength Arcia can slot in at the very bottom of the order, where hopefully he won't struggle with RISP at a historically bad rate like last year.
Next off-season's free agent class forecasts a few talented shortstops the Braves could be interested in, so Arcia is going to have to play his way into future plans with a bounce back 2025. Arcia showed that he can be a winning glove-first shortstop in 2023, he just needs the bat to bounce back closer to league average. Hopefully, new Atlanta hitting coach Tim Hyers can work some magic and get Orlando Arcia back on Braves fans good side.