Ha-Seong Kim’s season has become a striking cautionary tale, with the Atlanta Braves infielder now deep in a prolonged offensive slump after the San Diego Padres chose not to re-sign him long-term. The contrast with his best years in San Diego is stark: a player who once delivered back-to-back five-bWAR seasons and won a Gold Glove Award in 2023 is now fighting simply to make a basic offensive contribution.
Kim went 0-for-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 15, reaching the 85-plate-appearance threshold and sending his season OPS down to.231. That is an eye-catching drop for any hitter, but it is especially notable for a player who was still an above-average performer for the San Diego Padres in 2024 and had been one of the more valuable all-round players in the club’s recent era.
The slump has gone well beyond a bad week
What makes this situation stand out is not just the low total, but the length of the dry spell. Kim’s hitless streak began on June 3, and the numbers since then have been severe. He has five hits in 31 games, and all five have been singles, which underlines how little impact he has made when he has put the ball in play.
Friars on Base put the scale of the decline bluntly, saying his offensive numbers rank among the worst of any hitter all-time with a minimum of 85 plate appearances. They also noted that the latest hitless outing “dipped his season OPS to.231,” a figure that captures just how far things have gone off course.
Why the Padres’ decision now looks smarter
There is an obvious postscript to Kim’s current season. After his shoulder surgery, A.J. Preller’s interest in keeping him long-term cooled, and the Padres ultimately moved on. At the time, that might have looked like a difficult call on a player who had already given the club strong value in San Diego.
Now, with Kim struggling to the point that his offensive production has become a major talking point, the decision appears more defensible. Friars on Base said it best when they suggested Padres fans should feel relieved they “dodged a bullet.”
That does not erase what Kim meant to the Padres during his stronger years. But it does explain why his current form has drawn so much attention. A player who once looked like a dependable two-way contributor is now in the middle of one of the most difficult offensive stretches of his career, and the gap between those two versions of Ha-Seong Kim could hardly be wider.
For the Braves, the immediate issue is simple: Kim needs to find some kind of offensive rhythm. For the Padres, the broader feeling is that the long-term bet they declined to make is looking increasingly sensible. And if this slump continues, that verdict will only harden.
