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2026 Atlanta Braves Player Review: Ha-Seong Kim

The Atlanta Braves’ offseason gamble on Ha-Seong Kim took a sharp turn for the worse in 2026, as the South Korean infielder failed to deliver on his $20 million contract after a dismal season. Acquired via waivers late in 2025, Kim showed modest improvement with Tampa Bay but declined his $16 million option to test free agency—only to re-sign with Atlanta on a one-year deal in December.

Projections entering the year were cautiously optimistic, with models like Steamer and ZiPS forecasting a league-average bat and modest defensive impact, but Kim’s actual production was a stark contrast: a .116 batting average, a 7 wRC+, and a negative -1.2 fWAR across 51 games. Defensively, his Statcast metrics were equally underwhelming, with a -3 run value despite limited playing time at shortstop, a position the Braves hoped he’d anchor alongside utilityman Mauricio Dubón.

The lone bright spot came late, as Kim’s August reactivation from the injured list allowed him to stick with the team through the postseason, including a walk-off single against the Dodgers in a memorable late-season moment. Yet even that highlight couldn’t overshadow the broader narrative: a high-priced experiment that fell far short of expectations, leaving questions about Atlanta’s shortstop future and the wisdom of betting big on a player whose peak may already be behind him.

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