Infielder Ha-Seong Kim returns to Braves on $20 million, 1-year contract

ATLANTA AP Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim is returning to the Atlanta Braves agreeing Monday to a million one-year contract that addressed a major offseason priority for the squad Kim gets a million raise He had declined a million sportsman option from the million two-year contract he agreed to in February with Tampa Bay a deal that paid him million The Braves communicated the new deal with Kim Monday night General manager Alex Anthopoulos explained a long-term contract with Kim was discussed before the agreement on a one-year deal Anthpoulos reported he still hoped Kim s return means hopefully a longer marriage here The -year-old from South Korea batted with five homers and RBIs for the Rays and Braves who claimed him off waivers on Sept Kim didn t make his season debut until July because of right shoulder surgery in late This contract reflects our belief in him and he s a much better participant Anthopoulos revealed of Kim s statistics Kim has a average with homers and RBIs for San Diego - Tampa Bay and Atlanta Anthopoulos disclosed he s looking for Kim to return to his production levels he enjoyed with the Padres We think we ve got a very good chance to get the guy he was with San Diego Anthopoulos explained adding it will benefit both the Braves and Kim if he has a big season and improves his status for a bigger contract with more years after next season Come here be the member you can be have a great year and get the contract you deserve Anthopoulos disclosed Atlanta designated right-hander Osvaldo Bido for assignment to open a roster spot The return of Kim means Mauricio Dub n acquired from the Houston Astros for Nick Allen in an exchange of infielders on Nov likely will be available in a utility role instead of being relied on to be the starter at shortstop Dub n appeared in games with Houston last season and batted while earning his second Gold Glove each time as a utility infielder He also won a Gold Glove in The return of Kim comes after outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and the Braves agreed to a million two-year contract on Wednesday that includes a club option with the probable to make the deal worth million over three seasons It has been a busy week for the Braves who also added two-time All-Star reliever Robert Suarez on Thursday to a million three-year contract AP MLB https apnews com mlb Source