Ha-Seong Kim Player Option Growing Increasingly Important to Braves

At long last, the Atlanta Braves have offensive production out of the shortstop position. Ha-Seong Kim was picked off waivers earlier this month, and it’s been the perfect match. 

However, Kim isn’t your average waiver-wire acquisition. The Tampa Bay Rays were looking to do their usual salary dump, and it allowed him to fall into the Braves' lap. 

Ahead of his acquisition, they had tried a few players at the position, none of whom could produce. Nick Allen got the most reps at shortstop, and while he has an elite glove in his own right, he was statistically one of the worst hitters in the game back when he still qualified. 

Kim has completely flipped the situation on its head. 

Since joining the Braves, he’s batting .327 with a .794 OPS with a home run and eight RBIs. He has more home runs than every other Braves shortstop this season combined. Read that again, if you have to. 

He has an option for next season, but it’s not up to the Braves. It’s a player option. If Kim feels this production, as of late, can net him a better deal, he could opt out. 

There is also the scenario that the Braves likely hope he opts for, where he takes the guaranteed $16 million and competes for a bigger payday next season. 

Of course, if he opts out, that doens’t mean the Braves lose out on him entirely. They could choose to give him a multi-year contract, and it would still likely be the best option for them.  

The outlook of the shortstop market is looking thin. Those who will be available are going to be searching for serious paydays and might not have the same combination of having both the bat and the glove. 

Because of this thin market, that would incentivise Kim to test the market. For that same reason, it’s even more important that the Braves find a way to retain his services. 

If he opts out and signs elsewhere, they could be back to square one with this dilemma. The offense has had its struggles as is, and they have, at least for now, figured out one of the issues. 

Should they manage to hang onto Kim, the Braves can put their efforts elsewhere, such as bolstering the starting rotation. 

There are still three series left to go, so we don’t know yet if this decision will be a key one to watch over the offseason or if it will be null and void by then. 

However, based on what we’ve seen so far, it warrants the conversation. 

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