Braves shortstop opting out gives Guardians perfect bounce-back option in free agency

The recent iterations of the Guardians are no stranger to signing pitchers who have question marks in their medicals. In June 2024, the Guardians signed Matthew Boyd to a one-year contract while he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. 

A month later, they acquired Alex Cobb in a trade with the Giants despite the fact that Cobb hadn’t pitched in a game due to a hip injury. Last offseason, they rolled the dice on John Means’ Tommy John recovery.

The results have been a bit of a mixed bag. Boyd was a clear win, Cobb was a loss and Means has an incomplete grade since the Guardians still need to make a decision about his club option for 2026. 

But, for all the moves they made to acquire pitchers with uncertain futures, they’ve never really rolled the dice on hitters with those kinds of question marks. Sure, they’ve acquired hitters who have been bad, but it’s never really been because of an injury (outside of Mike Zunino, I suppose). 

They have a golden opportunity to do so this weekend thanks to the presence of Ha-Seong Kim, who opted out of the final year of his contract with the Braves earlier this week.

Kim, 30, started the year with the Rays but only ended up playing in 24 games due to a back injury. Atlanta acquired Kim at the beginning of September off waivers in the hopes that he’d turn things around and elect to stay in Atlanta in 2026 through his player option. 

That prediction came half true. He ended up doing well with the Braves (.254 batting average, three home runs in 24 games) — so well in fact that he opted out of the final year of his contract in lieu of re-entering free agency. 

And that could result in him falling right into the Guardians’ lap. 

Ha-Seong Kim would be the perfect stop-gap shortstop for the Guardians

This is the second straight year where Kim is entering free agency with some question marks. He seemed set to earn a huge payday last offseason, but he suffered a labrum tear in his shoulder in August 2024 that required season-ending surgery. 

The Padres elected to not offer him the qualifying offer, which is why he ended up in Tampa Bay on a two-year deal that included an option for 2026.

The Guardians have a plethora of middle infield options, but all of them come with clear warts. Brayan Rocchio is great in September and October but has looked lost in the spring and summer, while Gabriel Arias still hasn’t finished a full-season with an OPS+ above 100. 

Cutting either player loose would sting considering the amount of resources and money the Guardians have put into both players, but the sunk-cost fallacy shouldn’t stop the front office from trying something different. 

Kim seems destined to sign another two-year deal with an opt-out after the first year, which wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Guardians. Travis Bazzana is set to make his big league debut sometime soon and Angel Genao is rising the ranks in Cleveland’s system, but Kim would be the perfect stop-gap option in the meantime. 

They don’t need a forever shortstop; they just need a guy who’s better than what they have right now. Kim is exactly that. 

Two years ago, Kim hit .260 with 17 home runs and 38 steals along with winning the Gold Glove at shortstop while also earning MVP votes.

Injuries may have sapped him of some of the power that he showcased in that season, but he’s still a solid option who could help usher in a new era for the Guardians’ middle infield.