<p>Effectiveness and feasibility of various seismic retrofitting strategies for reinforced concrete (RC) moment frames have been proposed and studied to date. Due to their stable hysteretic response and high energy dissipation capabilities, incorporating buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) into existing buildings is deemed one of the most efficient techniques. This paper investigates the seismic performance of mid-story moment-resisting RC frames with BRBs under the 2023 Kahramanmaras sequential earthquakes. For this purpose, 3 and 8-story RC frames with various BRB placements and stiffness ratios were studied in terms of distribution of inelastic deformations, inter-story drift demands, base shear-roof displacement response, and energy dissipation through static pushover and dynamic time history analyses. Further, introducing BRBs could significantly increase the lateral load capacity while reducing deformation demands but lead to increased story accelerations, emphasizing the trade-off between the demand on the structural and nonstructural components. Therefore, the horizontal acceleration demands are also examined with and without BRBs. Since successive earthquakes are shown to produce cumulative damage, and inter-story shear force, energy dissipation models emphasize the critical role of BRB placement and optimization. Energy-based design and engineering evaluations revealed that BRBs absorb more seismic energy at low stiffness ratios. Optimal BRB placements resulted in balanced deformation and energy absorption, especially in mid-rise models. This study underlines the necessity of BRB placement strategically and stiffness optimization to improve seismic performance while mitigating adverse effects like reduced ductility and excessive accelerations. These findings offer practical suggestions for enhancing the seismic engineering and design of RC structures retrofitted with BRB in earthquake-prone regions.</p>