Free agent Kim Ha-seong returns to Braves on 1-year deal: reports
Atlanta Braves shortstop Kim Ha-seong makes a throw to first base during a Major League Baseball regular-season game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Truist Park in Atlanta, Sept. 27. AP-Yonhap
Free agent infielder Kim Ha-seong is returning to the Atlanta Braves on a one-year contract.
The Braves announced Monday (U.S. local time) that they re-signed Kim to a one-year pact worth $20 million, confirming an earlier report by MLB.com. Kim spent the late portions of the 2025 season with the Braves.
Kim, 30, became a free agent after declining his $16 million player option with the Braves for 2026. That option was part of a two-year contract he had signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent before the 2025 season.
Coming off a shoulder surgery late last year, Kim didn't make his Rays debut until July. Then once he returned to the field, Kim dealt with calf and back injuries and was limited to only 24 games. He only batted .214/.290/.321 with two homers and five RBIs before the Rays waived him.
The Braves, in search of a productive shortstop, snatched him up at the start of September. Kim went on to bat .253/.316/.368 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 24 games for his new team, and put together a season-best 10-game hitting streak while playing his typically strong defense.
"I do know he liked the experience (in Atlanta)," Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said. "It was just a comfort, like anything, when you're around someone, and you get to know him and how well he fit in. I can tell you it helped on our end, just from a comfort standpoint. I feel like even though he wasn't here that long, a month was pretty significant. He fit in quickly."
Kim played for the San Diego Padres from 2021 to 2014. He enjoyed his best season in 2023, when he established career highs with 17 home runs and 38 steals, while nabbing a Gold Glove award at the utility spot — becoming the first Asian infielder to win the prestigious defensive prize.
Primarily a shortstop, Kim has played third base and second base throughout his big league career, though the Braves used him exclusively as their shortstop.
"We think there's some more power there," Anthopoulos said of Kim's potential at the plate. "We think the speed is going to continue to come back to where it was, the stolen bases, the baserunning, the defense and so on. So I think we've got a very good chance to get the guy he was those years with San Diego."
Coming off an unproductive, injury-plagued season, Kim apparently was not able to command the kind of lucrative offer that he had hoped in the open market and has instead decided to bet on himself for a big 2026 season before hitting free agency again.