Kim Ha-seong not tendered qualifying offer by Braves

The Atlanta Braves did not tender a qualifying offer to Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong following an injury-riddled season. Eight players received the one-year offer worth $23.15 million, which is equivalent to the mean salary of the 125 highest-paid Major League Baseball (MLB) players on Monday (U.S. local time). During the 2024 season, Kim had been on a one-year, $20 million contract and managed to accumulate only a .116 batting average with no home runs and nine RBIs in 51 games.

Prior to the season, he suffered a finger injury in January after slipping on ice and falling, tearing a tendon in his right middle finger, which sidelined him early on. Despite debuting on May 12, he had to endure another month-long absence from early July to early August due to inflammation in his surgically repaired finger. Kim's batting performance in June was particularly poor, with just 1 hit in 28 at-bats.

Having played four seasons with the San Diego Padres between 2021 and 2024, Kim joined the Tampa Bay Rays as a free agent in early 2025 after recovering from shoulder surgery the previous winter. However, he only managed 24 games for the Rays, following his return from the injury. The Braves subsequently selected him in the subsequent draft.