Yankees' ideal Anthony Volpe insurance policy just hit the free agent market

Ha-Seong Kim made some degree of sense for the New York Yankees last offseason, while he was still rehabbing an injury with an uncertain 2025 arrival date. Now that he's healthy and finished the season strong? The Yankees' depth chart is practically begging to add him.

On Monday, Kim declined his 2026 option, penalizing the Atlanta Braves for making a move that was almost too smart. The Tampa Bay Rays didn't want to resist a rehabbing Kim opting into their payroll for next season with his health still uncertain, so they dealt him to Atlanta at the trade deadline after just 24 games. He played 24 more in Atlanta, finding a groove and making Alex Anthopoulos seem wise for betting on both his talent level and discomfort with entering the market again after only one-third of a season.

Unfortunately for the Braves, Kim hit .253 with excellent defense, finishing the campaign with 43 games played at short and five at second. That was enough for him to forgo a $16 million 2026 salary and try to land a multi-year commitment instead.

Last winter, Kim felt like potential insurance against an Anthony Volpe regression (about that) and lingering uncertainty about Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s position/the viability of DJ LeMahieu. This year? The Yankees need as many bodies as possible who can switch across the infield with versatility, especially while Volpe recovers from offseason surgery that should keep him out into May.

Kim started every game he played in 2024 at shortstop, but covered third base 30 times in a season as recently as 2023, his strongest campaign across the board (14th in NL MVP, 107 OPS+, 5.4 bWAR, Gold Glove win).

Yankees could use Ha-Seong Kim to cover infield holes, both before and after Anthony Volpe's recovery

Last summer, after the addition of Jose Caballero, the Yankees wrestled with the dueling realities that the spark plug was both an improvement over Volpe at shortstop and too valuable to be locked into one position every day. That's not why they obtained him. They wanted a spot starter, a weapon off the bench, a pinch-running threat, and a Swiss Army knife, all in one.

If they sign Kim this offseason, they'll be able to plug both Caballero and Kim into multiple roles as the week unfurls. They'll have more opportunities to get creative. And, yes, they'll have a Gold Glover who can play shortstop on days when Caballero slots in elsewhere, plus a right-handed platoon solution for Ryan McMahon.

The Yankees have a chance to finish what the Braves started when they pulled the trigger on getting Kim out of Atlanta, and the newly minted free agent inarguably fits New York's roster better, at every level of strength. The next step is clear — pay him Marcus Stroman/DJ LeMahieu's money for two seasons and wash your hands of any offseason positional controversy.