I was surprised by the opt-out of Kim Ha-sung Atlanta's mental breakdown is still set for the biggest offseason task to reinforce shortstop

Nov 06, 2025

I was surprised by the opt-out of Kim Ha-sung Atlanta's mental breakdown is still set for the biggest offseason task to reinforce shortstop
The Atlanta Braves are said to be in considerable shock when Kim Ha-sung opts out. ImagesYonhap News



I was surprised by the opt-out of Kim Ha-sung Atlanta's mental breakdown is still set for the biggest offseason task to reinforce shortstop
Jurickson Profar, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Kim Ha-sung. ImagesYonhap News
As Kim Ha-sung declared FA, reinforcing shortstop has emerged as the biggest task in the offseason for the original Atlanta Braves.

On the 3rd (Korea time), Kim Ha-sung decided to give up the option of a player with a salary of $16 million next year and go to the market. Atlanta was able to offer Kim Ha-sung a multi-year contract, but it is reported that it plans to come up with measures to reinforce shortstop after exploring the market.

However, there is no suitable alternative. In the end, it was diagnosed that it was most ideal to renew the contract with Kim Ha-sung.




The Athletic columnist Jim Borden picked starting pitchers and shortstop as positions necessary for Atlanta in a corner summarizing each club's offseason tasks on the 6th. With Kim Ha-sung's declaration of departure, the reinforcement of shortstop suddenly emerged as an important issue.

I was surprised by the opt-out of Kim Ha-sung Atlanta's mental breakdown is still set for the biggest offseason task to reinforce shortstop
Kim Ha-sung played as the main shortstop in Atlanta and recovered through offense and defense. AP Yonhap News
Boden said 'Kim Ha-sung's opt-out came as quite a shock to the Braves front office. In terms of attack, Bobbi??This is excellent but I doubt the Braves will pay that much. If he can't catch Rain? and Kim Ha-sung, he will be able to aim for Texas Rangers Josh Smith through a trade.

In other words, Atlanta expected Kim Ha-sung to give up the opt-out, given that he failed to play properly due to frequent injuries even after returning from shoulder surgery in July.




Kim Ha-sung played in 48 games for the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta this season, batting .234, five home runs, 17 RBIs, 19 points, and an OPS of 0.649. When Tampa Bay made a waiver announcement, Atlanta recovered with a batting average of 0.253, three homers, 12 RBIs, 14 points, and an OPS of 0.684 in 24 games since September 3, when Atlanta recruited him.

Borden added 'The Braves will try to secure a starting shortstop by bringing back Kim Ha-sung on condition of a multi-year contract in the FA market. He evaluated that the defensive ability to see not only shortstop but also second and third basemen increases market value and interest in the industry as a whole.

Who is classified as the top-class shortstop in the FA market??It's Kim Ha-sung from the department. But rain??have a ransom of well over $100 million. Borden is rain??He ranked fifth in the FA rankings and valued it at $189 million for seven years. It is similar to Willy Adames, who signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants a year ago ($182 million for seven years).




Borden's diagnosis is that Atlanta is difficult to handle. What's more, rain??Silver is at the top of the offensive, while defense is at the bottom. This season's defensive value was -10, ranking last among all shortstop players.

I was surprised by the opt-out of Kim Ha-sung Atlanta's mental breakdown is still set for the biggest offseason task to reinforce shortstop
Kim Ha-sung is evaluated as having the second highest market value among FA shortstop. ImagesYonhap News
If he is healthy, Kim Ha-sung can show above the league's average offense, and since he won the NL Utility Gold Glove in 2023, his defense power does not need to be explained separately. In addition, the ransom is less than $100 million. Boden rated Kim Ha-sung 32nd in the FA rankings and suggested the expected contract size at $39 million for three years. British reporter Tim, who specializes in statistics in the same media, predicted $50 million for three years.

Boden picked Atlanta, San Diego Padres, Washington Nationals, Detroit Tigers and San Francisco as Kim Ha-sung's destinations.

It seems clear that the condition Kim Ha-sung wants is a multi-year contract. There may be differences of opinion on the total amount, but a three-year contract can be said to be satisfactory.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.