Atlanta:South Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong has not received a qualifying offer from the Atlanta Braves following a season marked by injuries.
According to Yonhap News Agency, eight players received a one-year qualifying offer worth US$23.15 million, the mean salary of the 125 highest-paid players in Major League Baseball (MLB), on Monday (U.S. local time). Kim, who played this season on a one-year, $20 million deal, batted just .116 with zero home runs and nine RBIs in 51 games.
Kim missed the early part of the season due to a finger injury suffered in January in South Korea. He slipped on ice and fell, tearing a tendon in his right middle finger. Kim made his season debut on May 12 but faced setbacks, missing about a month from early July to early August with inflammation in his surgically repaired finger. He struggled at the plate, batting just 1-for-28 in June.
Previously, Kim spent four seasons with the San Diego Padres from 2021 to 2024 before joining the Tampa Bay Rays in early 2025 as a free agent. He played only 24 games for the Rays after returning from shoulder surgery, before the Braves selected him off waivers in September 2025. In his 24-game audition for the Braves, Kim batted .253 with three homers and 12 RBIs.
The Braves had intended for Kim to be their primary shortstop for 2026, but his plans were derailed by the finger injury. It remains uncertain if any other club will pursue the 31-year-old, who has been hampered by injuries over the past two seasons.
Players who receive a qualifying offer have until 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Nov. 17 to accept it. Accepting the offer signs them with that team for the 2027 season at the designated value. Players rejecting the offer remain free agents, and their previous club receives a draft pick as compensation if they sign elsewhere.
Since the system's implementation in 2012, only 18 players have accepted a qualifying offer. It allows players to aim for a productive season to increase their market value before free agency. Former South Korean big leaguer Ryu Hyun-jin accepted the qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018, leading MLB with a 2.32 ERA in 2019 and earning a four-year, $80 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
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