2025-2026 offseason thread

He has a $16m player-option for 2026 he’s sure to pick up. So he’s either going to be a pricey utility infielder who can pick it at SS, or the Braves plan to start him at SS and think he can bounce back to the 2.5+ fwar player he was 2022-2024.
We’ll see how it shakes out, but might be the canary in the coal mine that Braves might actually spend this offseason (just as declining TDA and trading Soler was a sign the Braves were going to duck the luxury tax),
 
A 16 million option for next year? Wow no thanks on that but he'll pick it up for sure. This offseason is gonna be a make it or break it for AA. If he blows this offseason then he should probably get the ax after next year. You can't allow a GM to have 3 shitty periods in a row during a contention window. So AA better be super careful how he spends the money bc his ass is on the line.
 
He's only played 24 games this year. The Rays picked him up knowing he was injured and waited for half the season for to come back. Maybe they just got tired of the injury.
 
The team has to quit letting the players dictate how they handle things. The team totally controls them and letting Lopez start bc he wants to would be a big mistake bc he's a high leverage BP arm at this point. They let Acuna play for 3 days on a hurt Achilles before pulling him and let Sale keep going when it was blatantly obvious he was done. This whole coaching staff needs to go
 
A 16 million option for next year? Wow no thanks on that but he'll pick it up for sure. This offseason is gonna be a make it or break it for AA. If he blows this offseason then he should probably get the ax after next year. You can't allow a GM to have 3 shitty periods in a row during a contention window. So AA better be super careful how he spends the money bc his ass is on the line.
I’m hoping, as chop suggests, this further indicates the Braves will be substantial spenders ahead of 2026. If healthy, Kim is a very useful roster piece.
 
What injury did Kim have? Only 24 games this year
Shoulder over the offseason, delaying his start to 2025. And then apparently some back issues have sent him to the IL twice since he’s returned from the shoulder.

Solid bounce back play, given his prior levels of performance, on-base ability, defensive skill/flexibility. And if he were to play up to old standards in 2026, he can still be offered a QO / net a pick.
 
I’m hoping, as chop suggests, this further indicates the Braves will be substantial spenders ahead of 2026. If healthy, Kim is a very useful roster piece.
I had a feeling they were gearing up to spend big this offseason and hopefully this won't affect that. Kim's back could be a problem bc they tend to linger. Maybe they work out a cheaper 2 year deal.
 
Yep. Braves are on the hook for all 16 million for next year if he stinks or is injured. Kim does have a 2 million dollar opt-out, but no one sees him losing out on 14 million after an injury-plagued year.
 
I was curious bc AA taking on 16 million for Kim is strange.
The whole point is the Rays didn’t want to pay him $16m in 2026. They put him on waivers to shed that likely salary.

From the Braves’ perspective, it’s not that strange: he’s a very good defensive infielder with strong on-base skills who could outperform his contract just by getting back to his 2024 performance levels (and far outperform if he returns to 2022-2023 standards). He’s only 29, so there’s hope that’s still there. And he knows Profar, so that adds some juice.
 
If Kim’s back to his 2024 self, then 1 year 16m is a steal.

The likelihood of that given his injuries this year I’m not sure. AA sure does love the one year upside gamble though. Sometimes it works (Donaldson) and sometimes it doesn’t (Hamels)
 
Sure seems like he's our SS for next year.
FA SS market is pretty threadbare. I'm of the impression that Anthopoulos does not want to trade any of the young pitchers (totally justified) so that probably limits what he can do on the trade market.

Kim's a pretty big ticket but he's an upgrade if he can stay healthy. I still can't believe Nick Allen was the starting SS for most of the season. I'm old enough to remember Rafael Belliard and I was having flashbacks.
 
Wonderful move. The Braves have filled the biggest hole in their roster before the offseason. Love the upside and have no concerns with risk since it'll be a one-year deal in 2026.
 
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