As we approached the end of August, few Atlanta Braves fans thought that the team would find a way to address their shortstop woes in-season. However, after claiming Ha-Seong Kim off of waivers a few days ago, Atlanta somehow added a bona fide shortstop this late in the season that, if healthy, could help them this year as well as in 2026 and at a reasonable salary at that. However, the start of Kim's tenure with the Braves may make it where his time with the team could be much shorter than hoped.
At issue here is that Kim has a player option for 2026. When Kim was claimed, he was coming off his second injured list stint of the season thanks to a lengthy recovery from shoulder surgery as well as a back injury. In the eyes of many experts, the odds that Kim would not exercise his $16 million option were small because there was no guarantee that Kim could do any better on the open market until he proved he could stay healthy and productive.
However, after a pretty insane start to his Braves career, one wonders if he could test free agency this offseason after all.
Welcome to #BravesCountry, Ha-Seong Kim! 💥 pic.twitter.com/Y7cZ4a4My5
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 4, 2025
Ha-Seong Kim could end up a free agent after all if he keeps this up
After hitting the first home run by a Braves' shortstop this season (boy is that sad) against the Cubs, fans were understandably thrilled with the team's new addition. Kim is widely known as a tremendous infield defender, but he is downright special if he can hit consistently as well. Through his first two games with the Braves, mission accomplished there. However, that is also a potential problem.
Kim's agent is Scott Boras who is rather notorious for trying to get his clients to free agency as much as is possible. In fact, he got Kim to opt out of his deal with the Padres despite the fact that he just had shoulder surgery. Given a situation where almost anyone else would look for financial security given an uncertain health outlook, Boras and Kim took the riskier route.
If Kim plays well in September and he is off to a terrific start there, the idea that he is going to stick around in Atlanta gets pretty tough. The shortstop market this coming offseason is pretty barren outside of Bo Bichette who is going to command a hefty salary. If Kim thinks he can get a multi-year deal at or more his current AAV, he is as good as gone with Boras around.