Ha-Seong Kim Predicted to Sign 1-Year “Prove-It” Deal After Opting Out of $16M Braves Contract.vc
After a 2025 season plagued by injuries, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicts Kim will have to sign a one-year deal for “roughly the terms of his player option,” making his decision to opt-out a costly gamble.
ATLANTA — The 2025 season is not one that free-agent shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will want to remember. After opting out of a $16 million player option with the Atlanta Braves, Kim is now facing a difficult market, with top analysts predicting he will have to settle for a “prove-it” deal for that exact same amount.
Kim’s season was a wash. He started with the Tampa Bay Rays but did not make his season debut until July 3 while recovering from shoulder surgery. He would quickly return to the IL in August after experiencing back troubles.
The Rays waived him in late August, which is when the Braves claimed him. Kim immediately took over as the starting shortstop for the injured Vaughn Grissom and found some offensive success down the stretch.
A Bad Bet on the Open Market?
It appears it may have been better if Kim had stuck with his guaranteed deal with the Braves, but that is in the past. He will now have to hope that a team “sees something special” in his late-season performance with Atlanta and is willing to “ignore” how much time he missed in 2025.
