Braves predicted to trade for $8.5M All-Star, Silver Slugger winner to replace Ha-Seong Kim originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Braves had another miserable year at shortstop in a season when they thought they had finally figured out the position. Ever since Dansby Swanson left to join the Chicago Cubs, it has been a brutal nightmare for Atlanta.
The Braves picked up Ha-Seong Kim at the end of September 2025, and he impressed. For that reason, the Braves decided to bring him back on a new contract.
“Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is returning to the Atlanta Braves, agreeing Monday to a one-year, $20 million contract that addressed a major offseason priority for the team. Kim gets a $4 million raise. He had declined a $16 million player option that was in the two-year, $29 million contract he signed in February with Tampa Bay, a deal that paid him $13 million. The Braves announced the new deal with Kim on Monday night," ESPN wrote.
Kim injured himself during the offseason, causing him to miss time. When he returned to Atlanta, he put the Braves in a difficult position because of his lack of production.
“Sounds like the Braves may be approaching a crossroads with Ha-Seong Kim. The belief internally may still be there, but if this continues another couple weeks, it feels like a legitimate 'what are we doing at shortstop?' conversation is coming," Braves radio host Chris Dimino said.
This winter, finding a bona fide shortstop has to be at the top of the Braves' offseason priorities. Mauricio Dubón can play shortstop, but if Atlanta brings him back, the team would likely prefer to use him in left field. Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer believes the Braves will trade for Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson.
“The free-agent market is so barren, however, that other teams might just be willing to pay the Orioles' price for Henderson rather than the price he's actually worth. He'd indeed be a worthwhile project, given that he's still just 25 years old and controlled through 2028. If the Braves don't already have Henderson on their radar, they should,” Rymer wrote.
Atlanta would have at least two years of control over Henderson, but even he has stretches when he disappears at the plate. It would be an interesting move, to say the least, and certainly not a safe one.
Henderson played this season on an $8.5 million arbitration deal. While Atlanta would have contractual control over him, there is no guarantee he would deliver a massive increase in production. Still, the Braves could view him as an opportunity to improve a position that has been a persistent problem.
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