Shocking stat that plagued Atlanta, so I caught Kim Ha-sungI've liked ATL director for a long time

Sep 02, 2025

Shocking stat that plagued Atlanta, so I caught Kim Ha-sungI've liked ATL director for a long time
Atlanta shortstop Nick Allen has not hit a home run in 127 games and 401 at-bats this season. AFP Yonhap News



Shocking stat that plagued Atlanta, so I caught Kim Ha-sungI've liked ATL director for a long time
The Atlanta Braves recruited Kim Ha-sung because they judged that he could expect not only defense but also batting power. ImagesYonhap News
The Atlanta Braves recruited Kim Ha-sung on the 2nd (Korea time) to strengthen their offense.

Shortstop is the most vulnerable position in Atlanta's lineup this year. Orlando Arcia, who saw shortstop at the beginning of the season, hit a batting average of 0.194 and was released, and Nick Allen, who later took over as the main player, is excellent in defense, but his bat is no different from Arsiwa.

As of today, he has a batting average of 0.221 (80 hits in 361 at-bats) in 127 games, 21 RBIs, 31 runs, eight steals, and an OPS of 0.534 without a home run. Atlanta's shortstop's total OPS this season is 0.524, the lowest among all 30 clubs. In particular, shortstop is the position where no home run has been made in Atlanta.




There are two ways to solve this. It's about going into the offseason and targeting the FA market or making a trade.

However, Atlanta has no resources to covet among the shortstop who will be on the FA market later this year. Biggest fish, Bobi??The estimated ransom is at least $150 million. It's not a price Atlanta can afford. There is a way to acquire Boston Red Sox Trevor Story or Detroit Tigers Javier Baez, but it is unlikely that the clubs will respond to the trade.

Shocking stat that plagued Atlanta, so I caught Kim Ha-sungI've liked ATL director for a long time
토론토 보 비??is considered the largest shortstop to be on the FA market at the end of this year. AP Yonhap News
In the end, Atlanta decided that rather than waiting until the offseason, Kim Ha-sung, who has actually become 'free body' due to the waiver disclosure this time, is the best in terms of price and expectations. Among Atlanta players, big guns Marcel Osuna and closer Raisel Iglesias will become FA at the end of the season, and the two players' salaries this year coincidentally were $16 million. If the two players go out, Kim Ha-sung's $16 million annual salary next year is not burdensome.




In addition, there is an expectation that Kim Ha-sung will be able to fill Atlanta's shortstop gap if he is not sick.

Atlanta is a team that has already had its eye on Kim Ha-sung. Atlanta emerged as a leading club when Kim Ha-sung's trade rumors spread after the 2023 season.

In 152 games in 2023, Kim Ha-sung marked a batting average of 0.260 (140 hits in 538 at-bats), 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 84 runs, 38 steals, and 0.749 OPS, and won the utility Gold Glove, making his career high in Gongsuju.




After suffering a slump last year, when he injured his shoulder against the Colorado Rockies in August, Atlanta also did not think about bringing in FA Kim Ha-sung even though it spent a lot of money. But now the shortstop situation has become serious, and Kim Ha-sung has recovered his health. We need to prepare for next season in advance. Eventually, he held the hand of Kim Ha-sung, who had been watching for a long time.

Atlanta coach Brian Snitker said after the Chicago Cubs that day "I liked Kim Ha-sung for a long time. I'm so happy to be here. I know he's craving to come here and run"Basically, Kim Ha-sung will see the shortstop. He's a very good player. I'm looking forward to his role here" he said.

Shocking stat that plagued Atlanta, so I caught Kim Ha-sungI've liked ATL director for a long time
Kim Ha-sung marked 17 home runs, 60 RBIs and an OPS of 0.749 in 2023, showing a batting average above the league average. AP Yonhap News
Major League Trade Rumors said 'In theory, Kim Ha-sung can recover his condition at the end of the season and exercise the opt-out. If so, this waiver claim will end fruitlessly, but Atlanta will only see a minor financial loss' Atlanta expects Kim Ha-sung to give up the opt-out and remain next year. Atlanta believes $16 million is a good enough price to bet on reviving it as a competitive team next year'

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's abandonment of Kim Ha-sung is due to a high ransom of $16 million next year, frequent injuries, and a strategy to find prospects.

Tampa Bay President Eric Nieder announced that he had sent Kim Ha-sung on waivers ahead of the Seattle Mariners match, saying, "Looking at our current ranking, we decided to give Carson Williams an opportunity to learn something more in the last month."The Carson problem was solved as Kim Ha-sung gave him a chance to play as a main player elsewhere. It will be a good thing for Kim Ha-sung as well."

"If we played more than 10 games in a winning percentage of 50%, I wouldn't have given up on Kim Ha-sung," Nieder said. "I wouldn't have even thought about it at all." "On the contrary, he is two games short of a winning percentage of 50%. Action had to be taken in such a situation. It affected not only this move, but also the opportunities given to players recently."

Shocking stat that plagued Atlanta, so I caught Kim Ha-sungI've liked ATL director for a long time
Tampa Bay Race is believed to have been transferred to Atlanta ㅔ due to Kim Ha-sung's $16 million salary next year. AFP Yonhap News
In the end, he concluded that he should raise Williams, a promising player, because he cannot continue to use Kim Ha-sung, who is suffering from sluggishness due to frequent injuries in the wake of giving up his advance to the playoffs.

Williams says "Right now it's a learning process. I will work hard this month to help the team win as much as possible and I will make sure that the shortcomings can be improved,' he said.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said it was a great opportunity for Carson. I didn't expect this to happen when I called him up from the minor leagues`"Kim Ha-sung is a good player, but he is having a difficult season this year due to his injury. But when I went out on the field, I did everything. He is in good health now. That's a very good thing."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.