Could the Braves look to make another trade to address shortstop?

The Braves received devastating news on the injury front over the weekend, as shortstop Ha-Seong Kim tore a ligament in his finger after reportedly slipping on ice while in Korea. The injury is expected to sideline him for roughly four to five months, leaving Atlanta without its starting shortstop for the first half of the season — a player they had just signed to a one-year, $20 million contract about a month ago.

The injury luck over the last two seasons has been a nonstop nightmare for the Braves, and this one stings even more because it finally felt like they had done enough to address a position that has been a black hole since Dansby Swanson left for Chicago. Instead, they find themselves back in a familiar position, with little time to solve one of the roster’s most glaring issues.

Two factors make the shortstop situation particularly difficult to navigate. First, the Braves’ payroll already sits north of $260 million, already the highest in franchise history. While it’s possible they could still add another free agent, most expected any remaining financial flexibility to be used on the rotation.

The second issue is the lack of available options. There were very few starting-caliber shortstops on the free agent market this offseason, and nearly all of them have already signed elsewhere. If the Braves want to upgrade externally, it would almost certainly have to come via trade, and there simply aren’t many teams eager to move a starting shortstop a month before Spring Training.

If there is a name worth monitoring, it’s Nico Hoerner of the Cubs. He’s entering the final year of his contract, and after Chicago’s addition of Alex Bregman, they suddenly have a surplus of infielders. Hoerner is a two-time Gold Glove winner who has averaged nearly 5.0 WAR over the last four seasons. At 28 years old, he could theoretically solve the Braves’ shortstop problem both now and long term.

That said, the trade package required to acquire Hoerner would be significant, and Alex Anthopoulos would need to feel confident about extending him. That’s a gamble Atlanta might be more willing to take if there were no viable internal options, but with Mauricio Dubón already on the roster, the Braves can reasonably trust him to hold down the position until Kim returns.

That is the most likely path forward. After enduring two injury-riddled seasons, the Braves made a clear emphasis this offseason on improving depth and versatility. They certainly didn’t plan on leaning on those depth pieces as starters before Spring Training even begins, but Dubón’s presence makes the situation far less dire than it would have been a year ago.

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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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