In a bit of a shocking offseason development, Atlanta Braves star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has become the subject of a handful of trade rumors.
With a contract decision looming, and Braves fans potentially being fed up with his on-field underperformance and antics, perhaps Atlanta’s front office will look to move on this offseason.
Recently, a ‘wild’ trade prediction emerged across MLB’s rumor mill, which would send Acuña Jr. to the Philadelphia Phillies in a player-swap deal for Bryce Harper….
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Bleacher Report Proposes Wild Ronald Acuña Jr-Bryce Harper Player-Swap Trade…
In a series of ‘wild’ MLB trade pitches, perhaps the craziest one that Zachary D. Rymer could think of was a player-swap deal between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies involving both teams’ franchise-level players.
Rymer wrote about the idea and why it’s maybe not as far-fetched as you’d think:
“Are You Out of Your Mind?!”
“Did those first four pitches come off as tame? If so, then this is the one for you. Anyway, the rationale starts here: Bryce Harper should probably move on from Philadelphia, and Ronald Acuña Jr. should probably do the same from Atlanta. Things for both players in both places have gotten…weird. Harper has had a heck of a run with the Phillies, but he’s recently had public disagreements with Dave Dombrowski and Don Mattingly. And even if the 34-year-old does still have five years and $125 million left on his 13-year contract, he’s an obvious candidate to go if the team pursues a badly needed shakeup of its core. He’d only need to waive his no-trade clause.”
Bryce Harper is tied to a 13-year, $330 million contract, which runs through the 2021 season, but the two-time MVP and 9X MLB All-Star has been able to bring the Phillies to the promised land (the World Series) just one time, and after Philadelphia’s exit in this year’s MLB playoffs, the rumors have been loud regarding the Phillies ‘shaking up their core’, as Rymer noted.
Now, does this mean they would trade Bryce Harper? Probably not, but this trade idea could certainly benefit the Braves more than the Phillies, and if a team were to turn it down, it would be Philadelphia.
Harper batted .269 in 2026 with 29 home runs, 87 RBI, and an OPS+ of 131. The only issue with a Harper trade to Atlanta is the fact that he projects more as a first baseman than an outfielder in this stage of his career, and the Braves obviously already have a star first baseman in the form of Matt Olson. HOWEVER… with that being said, Atlanta could be looking to upgrade at the DH position this season.
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Taking a Quick Look at Ronald Acuña Jr. Right Now…
It’s understandable why Ronald Acuña Jr. has become the subject of some trade rumors.
He’s battled minor (and major) injuries in the past few seasons, which has clearly slowed down his production at the plate from a power standpoint.
While he is still a wayyy above-average MLB player, considering the Braves have a contract decision to make with him coming up, it makes sense why Atlanta may not want to ink him to a very lucrative contract, as he may demand a multi-year deal worth more than $100 million.
It almost makes more sense to offload him now and see what return you can fetch.
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Atlanta Braves ‘Wild’ Trade Pitch Dumps Ronald Acuña Jr. for $330 Million MVP