The Braves are staring at the same problem again at shortstop, and Ha-Seong Kim hasn’t given them much reason to believe the answer is already in house.
Atlanta brought Kim back hoping his success from last season would carry over, but the year has gone sideways. An offseason injury in Korea delayed his start, and since getting back on the field he hasn’t made the kind of impact the Braves expected. Another injury has only made the situation messier, though the club is still hoping he can eventually return and provide some value on the one-year, $20 million deal he signed in January.
“He’ll likely not need as much time as Kim, who is just trying to right himself to the point where he might provide some value to the one-year, $20 million contract he signed in January,” MLB.com's Mark Bowman wrote.
Even with Kim nearing another return, the mood around it is hardly upbeat. His numbers have been rough enough that every other option Atlanta has used at shortstop has been better this season.
Nick Halden of ATL All Day put it plainly: “No question, Kim coming back isn't great news for the Braves but points to a continued frustration. The shortstop has been to the plate 73 times and hit .068 while striking out 22 times and being completely lost at the plate.
Atlanta is far better off with Jim Jarvis, Mauricio Dubon, or Jorge Mateo in the starting lineup and in the middle infield,” ATL All Day's Nick Halden wrote.
That kind of production opens the door for a bigger move, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan floated a name that would fit the need: Washington Nationals All-Star CJ Abrams.
“Abrams is on pace for career highs across the board in his age-25 season, but as noted above, his defense and familiar patterns still make you wonder if this is the year it all comes together. He's an easy plus runner with strong bat speed/raw power and, like Pena, has leaned into the pull/lift elements (to the biggest degree this season) to get to his power in games.
Is the solution to move him to second or third base or maybe even to center field? Can he keep this up all season?
If he solves these questions, he might be on the road to becoming the star some envisioned in the 2019 draft,” McDaniel and Passan wrote.
Abrams would give Atlanta exactly what it has been missing since Dansby Swanson left in free agency: real offense at shortstop. That’s the hole the Braves have been trying to patch ever since, and Abrams would be an immediate upgrade.
He has already earned $18 million in his MLB career with Washington and remains under team control through arbitration, which makes him the kind of trade target that could draw serious attention if Atlanta is ready to pay up for a young All-Star in the middle of a breakout season.
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Braves May Finally Have The Trade Match Fans Have Waited For
The Athletics are reportedly open for business on some of their outfielders, and that is the kind of market note the Braves have to pay attention to. Atlanta has the sort of pitching depth that can make a real conversation possible, while also carrying a need in the outfield that has lingered long enough to matter as the season moves along.
Several of the names that could come up in any framework are young Braves arms, the sort of pieces other clubs usually ask for when they are looking to restock a rotation for the future. For Atlanta, the appeal is obvious: if the front office is going to turn surplus pitching into a bat, this is the kind of matchup that could finally line up. The only question is how far the As are willing to go, and whether the Braves decide this is the moment to act. [Read more 🡒]
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For a Braves team that has spent much of the year trying to stay in the race, the timing matters as much as the diagnosis. Striders recovery could shape how aggressively Atlanta pursues starting pitching before the trade deadline, and whether the front office leans toward longer-term answers or a more temporary fix. For now, the only real certainty is that the Braves are still looking for clarity on one of the most important arms in the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Braves May Have Found A Rotation Fix With One Major Catch
The Braves are still looking for starting pitching help, and one name that has surfaced as a possible fit is a veteran with a track record of steady production. A two-time All-Star with a consistent career, he would give Atlanta the kind of rotation stability it has been chasing, especially with the trade market beginning to take shape and clubs weighing whether to buy, sell or hold.
The catch is in the contract, which makes any deal harder to sort out than a simple need-for-need swap. Recent trades for pitchers on similar deals have offered a rough guide, but they also highlight how quickly the asking price can drift depending on how a team values the player, leaving Atlanta and Kansas City with plenty to work through before anything gets close. [Read more 🡒]