The NL East was supposed to be a three-team race in 2025 with the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves all expected to be among the best teams in the sport. Well, while the Mets and Phillies have mostly lived up to their end of the bargain, the Braves have been one of MLB’s most disappointing teams, sitting at 62-75, the fourth-worst record in the National League.

While their 2025 season is essentially over, their odds of bouncing back in 2026 just improved by claiming Ha-Seong Kim on waivers, as The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported.

Kim has had a lost season with the Tampa Bay Rays. Things went so poorly to the point where they were content losing him for nothing, and that’s exactly what happened. The Braves are taking a no-risk gamble that teams eager to win would be happy to make. That alone should scare both the Mets and Phillies.

Braves prove they mean business by claiming Ha-Seong Kim on waivers

I have no idea how Kim will perform in Atlanta. Again, he’s had a lost season with the Rays, and it went so poorly to the point where they were fine letting him go for free. With that being said, the Braves like the player, and were willing to commit to paying him $16 million next season assuming he opts into his player option. $16 million is a lot of money to commit to any player, let alone one having a down year.

The Braves have done a great job locking in a vast majority of their young core long-term, but they haven’t spent all that much around them. This waiver claim is a sign that they’re willing to do that. If indeed that is the case, again, watch out.

The Braves have had a rough season, there’s no disputing that. However, this is still a very talented team when healthy, and if they’re willing to meaningfully spend this winter, it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see Atlanta right back in contention in 2026.

Braves fill biggest weakness with Ha-Seong Kim waiver claim

Not only are the Braves clearly willing to spend, but the Kim pickup fills their biggest weakness. Nick Allen is an unbelievable defender, but he’s also one of the worst hitters in the league, making him a player more suited for a bench role. Kim is also a Gold Glove-caliber defender with a much higher upside than Allen offensively.

In parts of five MLB seasons, Kim has a .702 OPS and a 97 OPS+, making him roughly league average offensively. From 2022 through 2024, Kim had a .721 OPS and a 103 OPS+, making him a tick above average offensively. Average to above-average offense paired with Gold Glove defense makes Kim a very good shortstop option, and again, a major upgrade over what they had. He was so valuable in 2023 to the point where he received down-ballot MVP votes.

Kim has been limited to just 24 games played this season as he’s dealt with a couple of ailments, and his numbers haven’t been good as a result, but when healthy, this is a really productive player that the Braves didn’t have to give anything other than money to acquire.

No matter how you slice it, the Braves got better. I don’t know whether they’ll be better than the Mets or Phillies in 2026, but this got them closer and signals that more moves could be on the horizon.