Could the Atlanta Braves do what once was thought unthinkable and trade Ronald Acuna Jr.? A prominent MLB insider is making the case as to why it might be time for the Braves to part with the former National League MVP.
During an appearance on MLB Network’s “MLB Now,” New York Post’s Joel Sherman believes that the Braves could receive a Juan Soto-like haul if they were to deal Acuna.
The biggest reason to trade the four-time All-Star? Sherman doesn’t see the Braves being a winning team anytime soon, as they are 38-46, mired in fourth place in the National League East and are dealing with multiple injuries to their rotation, including Spencer Schwellenbach who went on the IL Wednesday with a fractured right elbow.
He also points to the fact that second baseman Ozzie Albies and center fielder Michael Harris have regressed offensively, while the Braves don’t know what they will have with outfielder Jurickson Profar who is coming back from an 80-game PED suspension.
“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, [Chris] Sale will be 37 next year, you don’t have depth in your farm system,” Sherman explained. “This has been a great period for the Braves. Seven straight years in the playoffs, six division titles, one championship. By the way, we won that championship without Acuna. He got hurt. We played the last four months of last season without Acuna and made the playoffs again.”
After this year, Acuna still has three years and about $51 million left on his deal, and if he was made available at the trade deadline, he would instantly become the top offensive bat on the market. The Braves are expected to test the market for designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and reliever Raisel Iglesias, who will both be free agents at the end of the season. However, they won’t move the needle in a prospect haul like Acuna would.
“Do we want to try to take another seven-year run? I would say let’s have a serious meeting about whether it’s time to do that,” Sherman said. “Acuna, 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?”
The Washington Nationals were able to remake their franchise by trading Soto to the San Diego Padres. In return, the Nationals received:
- All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams
- Left fielder James Wood (22 home runs, .938 OPS)
- Pitcher MacKenzie Gore (3.08 ERA, 129 strikeouts in 17 starts)
- Outfield prospect Robert Hassell III (made MLB debut this season)
- Pitching prospect Jarlin Susana (4.15 ERA in six Double-A starts)
Sherman believes that one team that could align with the Braves in an Acuna deal would be the Seattle Mariners as they have nine top-100 prospects, according to MLB.com. Acuna would be able to slide into right field for Seattle and dramatically improve production from a position that’s been a sore point for the franchise.
Since returning from his second ACL injury that ended his 2024 season after 49 games, he is slashing .350/.467/.610 with nine home runs, five doubles, 32 runs scored, with a 199 OPS+ and 2.1 bWAR in 35 games.
