ATLANTA -- Jurickson Profar’s friendship with Ha-Seong Kim doesn’t guarantee Kim will opt to play for the Braves next year. But it certainly won’t hurt.
“We’re not only teammates, he’s like a brother,” Profar said. “We have spent a lot of time together, just hanging out at the stadium and at the team hotel. We eat together. We do everything together.”
Profar and Kim were teammates in San Diego as recently as last year. They were reunited this past week, when the Braves claimed Kim off waivers from the Rays and made him their starting shortstop for the rest of the season.
How long they remain teammates remains to be seen.
You can look at the approximate $2 million the Braves will pay Kim this year as basically the cost of a recruiting visit. If the former Gold Glove shortstop finds comfort over these final few weeks, there could be a better chance he’ll continue to serve as Atlanta’s shortstop next season.
Kim has all the leverage with the $16 million player option he has for the 2026 season. The 29-year-old infielder missed the final 37 games and the postseason in 2024 with a shoulder injury and then missed this season’s first three months recovering from shoulder surgery. He’s also dealt with hamstring, calf, foot and back ailments this year.
Pair these injuries with a career .702 OPS and it’s easy to assume he’ll exercise the player option, erasing the Braves’ need to find a shortstop.
Right?
In the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. Nothing should ever be assumed with a Scott Boras client, especially when this winter’s shortstop free-agent market isn’t strong.
Bo Bichette’s bat will certainly draw significant attention on the free-agent market. But he ranks last among qualified shortstops with -13 Outs Above Average. Can you really consider him a shortstop?
Trevor Story has never been more than a slightly above-average hitter since leaving the Rockies (93 wRC+ in 302 games with Boston entering Sunday) and has -2 OAA this season. It’s hard to believe he will opt out of a deal that will guarantee him $55 million (2028 buyout included) over the next two seasons. But like Kim, he could evaluate the value of joining a thin shortstop market.
Beyond Bichette and Story, this winter’s only other potential free agent shortstops are Orlando Arcia (club option), Miguel Rojas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Amed Rosario, Paul DeJong and Kim.
Kim’s gamble wouldn’t be as significant as Story’s. He’d simply be taking a chance on the possibility of gaining something better than a one-year, $16 million deal.
If the Braves like what they see over the next few weeks, they could choose to give Kim a multi-year deal with an AAV that would likely be at least $16 million. This year’s injuries create a risk, but the hamstring, calf and foot injuries could be a product of not having a normal offseason or Spring Training.
Then, there’s always the possibility that Kim could just exercise his $16 million option for next season. It appears he has been impressed by his Braves experience thus far.
“He told me it’s different here than it was with the Rays, because he didn’t have anybody to talk to,” Profar said. “It’s a different group here. Everybody really cares for each other. He told me that right away.”
Kim came out of Sunday’s 18-2 loss to the Mariners hitting 5-for-17 with a homer since joining the Braves on Tuesday. He has made some dazzling defensive plays and his seventh-inning three-run blast fueled a late rally in Wednesday’s 5-1 win over the Cubs.
“I wouldn’t mind him playing every game that's left if he can, because we could see what he can bring to this club, as he already has,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He looks good, really good.”