Ha-Seong Kim has fit in seamlessly with the Braves since arriving in early September. Atlanta originally made this move hoping Kim could prove to be healthy over the final month, then possibly opt-in for the $16 million player option he has next season. However, Kim has been playing so well that declining his player option and testing the free agent market feels more likely by the day.
The mention of a possible extension has already been floated around by some of the Braves beat writers, but the most recent contract projection has increased in both years and dollars. David O'Brien of The Athletic recently suggested a contract extension of three years, $65 million as a starting point. O'Brien also mentions that with Scott Boras as Kim's agent, signing him to an extension will be a tall task.
Liftoff ✈️@Delta | #BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/F2ruUe8AiH
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 22, 2025
Ha-Seong Kim's value continues to rise, Braves may be forced to act quickly or risk losing him
With the growing sentiment that Kim's $16 million player option for 2026 will be declined, Alex Anthopoulos must get out in front of this situation. The track record of Alex Anthopoulos has been not to get into bidding wars in both years and dollars for free agents. Should the soon to be 30 year-old Kim hit free agency, Anthopoulos will likely be bidding against teams that exceed what he is comfortable paying for Kim. With the limited crop of free agent shortstops this winter, Kim has every chance of fetching a four or five year deal approaching nine figures.
To avoid this risk Anthopoulos should be aggressive on an extension with Kim before this scenario takes place. Ozzie Albies' latest injury just created a major question mark for the middle infield picture entering 2026. Should the Braves lose Kim in free agency, it would be a near certainty they would have questions surrounding shortstop as well. It's simply something they can't afford to gamble on.
The Braves are as hot as they have been all season, and on a nightly basis Ha-Seong Kim seems to be right in the middle of it. Paying north of $22 million AAV may seem steep for a player like Kim, who doesn't have one particular tool that carries his game. However, as we have mentioned previously, the alternatives at shortstop next year aren't very inspiring outside of spending even more money on free agent to be Bo Bichette. The rumblings around Kim is that the price is going up; let's hope the Braves are ready to pay.