In a season where the Atlanta Braves have boasted a Rookie of the Year, a Comeback Player of the Year, multiple All-Stars and a Gold Glove winner, there are still holes to address on the roster this offseason.
In an article detailing each team’s most pressing offseason need, Fox Sports writer Deesha Thosar highlighted the Braves’ need for a shortstop. Ha-Seong Kim’s decided to decline his player option with the team. They picked up Kim in the hopes that he would exercise it. However, a strong showing late in the season and a thin free-agent market at the position encouraged him to roll the dice.
“The Braves’ biggest priority this winter is signing a shortstop,” Thosar said. “Atlanta still has hopes of re-signing Kim. They have competition now – with top playoff contenders like the Yankees and Blue Jays expected to be in the mix to solve their middle-infield vacancies this offseason.”
The Braves have struggled to find an everyday shortstop since the departure of Dansby Swanson. Orlando Arcia looked like a solution at first after having an All-Star season in 2023. However, his offense greatly regressed during the 2024 season and the start of the 2025 season. The Braves designated him for assignment and ultimately released him.
Arcia’s fate was sealed before he was off the roster. Nick Allen had already taken over the role as the starting shortstop in the early weeks of the season. Flashing incredible defense that earned him the honor of being a Gold Glove finalist, it made it easy to move on from Arcia.
Allen was in the 99th percentile for fielding range and the 96th for fielding run value. However, the offense he produced in Triple-A never translated to the Majors, leading the Braves to jump at the opportunity to acquire Kim. If he doesn’t re-sign, there are some other top options they could pivot to.
Thosar names longtime Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette as the top option for the Braves. However, she concludes that the team is highly unlikely to shell out the large salary he’ll be looking for. There is more to it than just the contract being too expensive, however.
Last month, Braves color commentator C.J. Nitkowski also spoke out on the probability of Bichette coming to Atlanta, believing that he’s not the long-term solution the Braves are looking for. He lacks the defense that would justify the large contract.
The Blue Jays opted for Andrés Giménez at shortstop during their run to the World Series. Bichette was moved to second base and designated hitter. Teams are reportedly open to trying him at other positions if they acquire him.
Unfortunately for Atlanta, the shortstop market is running a tad dry this offseason, so they’ll either have to pay Ha-Seong Kim a competitive rate or look elsewhere, either in trades or in their own farm system.
If they look at the trade market, it opens up a wider range of options. In the same video where Nitkowski balks at Bichette, he assesses options such as Corey Seager and Jeremy Peña. While both come at a cost, particularly Seager, the Braves are expected to increase payroll, so it’s more about the right use of the money as opposed to the unwillingness to spend.
If they have to opt for an in-house option, one that isn’t Nick Allen, a likely candidate would be Nacho Alvarez Jr., who manned the third base position in Austin Riley’s absence. Shortstop was his primary position in the minor leagues, but adding his offense would come at a cost to defense. The Braves would like to avoid this if they can.
He looked good while patrolling third base, but his track record shows stronger play at the hot corner in his career. Other options in the system, such as John Gil, are a ways away from contributing in the Majors.
An external option is certainly the best route for the Braves to improve the shortstop position this offseason. It just comes down to whether they can win the bidding war on at least one of the top options out there.
