The Atlanta Braves‘ season is in dismay. While they came into the year with playoff expectations, they are far from being a contender. The team has scored the third-fewest amount of runs in the National League, paired with a sub-.700 OPS. The offense has been bad, no other way to put it.
Even with the lineup’s struggles, superstar Ronald Acuña Jr has played phenomenally. Since his return from last season’s knee injury, Acuña has hit .350 with a 1.076 OPS. He’s proven that he’s still one of the best players in baseball. While the questions surrounding how he’d recover have subsided, another question looms. Should the Braves trade away their superstar?
Why It Makes Sense to Trade Acuña
Joel Sherman of MLB Now gave his argument for why the Braves should consider moving the former MVP.
“Can you see a championship in the next few years? I don’t because Albies has gone the wrong way, Harris has gone the wrong way, Sale will be 37 next year, you don’t have depth in your farm system. This has been a great period for us, the Braves. Seven straight years in the playoffs, six division titles, one championship. Big deal…He’s got three years and $51 million left. He’s had serious knee injuries to both knees. I feel like we’d have to talk seriously about if we just trade Raisel Iglesias and Ozuna, the free agent guys, we’re not getting anything that changes our future. Do we want to try to take another seven-year run?”
This would be one of the craziest trades we’ve seen in quite some time, but Sherman does make fair points. The Braves limped into the playoffs last year, and the core outside of Acuña has begun to decline. At this point, the NL has many teams much more equipped for a championship run. If the Braves are going to blow it up, then that may need to include trading Ronnie.
What Could the Braves Get in Return?
Sherman went on to discuss what type of capital Atlanta could get in return.
“Acuña, in this marketplace, without offensive players of this stature, you could make the Juan Soto trade. Who can I make the Juan Soto trade with? Now I got to talk to the Seattle Mariners, who have made the playoffs one time since 2001…They’re right field production is the worst in the sport. You know what they have in the last Baseball America rankings, which literally came out yesterday? Nine top 100 prospects.”
The Nationals received an absurd haul when they traded Juan Soto to the Padres back in 2022. The primary players in the deal were James Wood, CJ Abrams, and Mackenzie Gore. Fast forward to today, and Wood is an emerging superstar, Gore is an ace, and Abrams has flashed All-Star potential.
If the Mariners or another team are willing to part with a similar amount of prospect capital, then the Braves may just consider the blockbuster deal. Losing Acuña in his prime would be one of the biggest blows in franchise history, but it may be necessary if the Braves want to regain a championship-caliber roster.
MLB Analyst Says the Braves Should Consider Trading Ronald Acuña Jr.