The Braves are still chasing a playoff spot, but the shortstop picture is already pulling their attention toward next season. Atlanta has spent much of this year searching for stability at the position, and Ha-Seong Kim was supposed to be the answer.
That hasn’t gone the way the Braves hoped. Kim’s play has left the club at a point where questions are starting to pile up, and Braves radio host Chris Dimino said the internal confidence may be nearing a breaking point.
“Sounds like the Braves may be approaching a crossroads with Ha-Seong Kim. The belief internally may still be there, but if this continues another couple weeks, it feels like a legitimate ‘what are we doing at shortstop?’ conversation is coming,” Braves radio host Chris Dimino said.
Kim did give Atlanta a jolt last week when he came through with a walk-off hit against the Los Angeles Dodgers. SI’s Harrison Smajovitts described the moment this way:
“Just like that, the moment everyone expected arrived. Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim delivered off the bench for the Atlanta Braves to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth against the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-5,” SI’s Harrison Smajovitts wrote.
Even with that flash, the Braves could still be shopping for a new answer at shortstop this offseason. One name that has surfaced is Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña, whom HTHB’s Eric Cole считает a strong fit for Atlanta.
“The odds of getting a quick trade of this magnitude done before the lockout starts are small, especially now that we know the Astros will have a new front office, but it is hard to find a better short-term fix to the Braves' shortstop issues than Jeremy Peña. He is one of the more productive shortstops in baseball, and he is entering his final year of arbitration before hitting free agency,” Cole wrote.
Peña would bring a resume that stands out. He has already won a World Series MVP and a Gold Glove, and his career earnings have reached $31 million. For a Braves team that has been looking for steadiness at shortstop for years, he represents the kind of established option that could settle the spot down if he can stay healthy.
Atlanta’s search for consistency there has been ongoing, and Peña is the sort of player who could change the conversation quickly. If the Braves decide to move on from the uncertainty, he offers a possible long-term solution at a position that has remained a problem.
In Other News...
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Braves Roster Rules Are Creating A Late-Season Problem For Atlanta
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September used to offer more room to carry extra arms and a deeper bench, but the current limits have narrowed those choices to 28 active players and 14 pitchers. For Atlanta, that creates a more difficult late-season equation: every roster move has to do more than just fill a spot, and the lack of extra flexibility can shape how often certain players are used, how aggressively pitchers are managed and how the Braves navigate the final weeks. [Read more 🡒]