It’s been a tough season for the Atlanta Braves.
With four major injuries to the starting rotation – including Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach – the Braves postseason chances are next to none as of this writing. Atlanta is in fourth place in the NL East, behind even the Miami Marlins.
While Alex Anthopoulos hasn’t committed to selling just yet, that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning out some previously-unthinkable Braves trade scenarios, including one involving Ronald Acuña Jr.
This all started early in the week, with MLB Now’s Carlos Peña discussing why the Braves should be open to trading Acuña Jr. now despite his contract being quite affordable for Atlanta’s front office and ownership.
“I would definitely entertain that, if. were the Braves,” said Pena. “If I’m another team trying to acquire a player that’s going to make a difference immediately, granted if he’s healthy, you see what [Acuña] is capable of doing. Coming in the limelight, coming in the postseason, he would be a difference maker. And that’s the carrot that I’m dangling in front of any team to see if I can get back a pretty big haul. I would certainly entertain that.”
The Braves aren’t trading Ronald Acuña Jr.
That, of course, is the wrong take. The Braves are having a down year caused primarily by injuries. Assuming the vast majority of their starting pitchers come back healthy in 2026, there’s no reason they can’t make another postseason run with Acuña Jr. at the helm then. However, in some ways Acuña Jr. only has himself to blame as to why he’s so valuable in the first place.
Acuña Jr. signed a team-friendly deal back in 2019, inking an eight-yeat, $100 million contract. Even back then, it was obvious Acuña Jr. was taking a discount rather than banking on himself to outplay those terms. In recent seasons, Acuña Jr. has expressed a desire to sign a new deal and be a Brave for life.
Ronald Acuña Jr.’s contract makes him an attractive trade asset
That is all well and good, but the Braves have no reason to extend him these days, as he’s signed through 2028 (if you include club options, yikes) for $17 million AAV. Any new contract would pay him significantly more than that.
The 27-year-old has since changed agents, which is the right decision moving forward if he is to receive a new deal worth his actual valuation, which is somewhere above the $300 million mark. In many ways, it is Acuña Jr.’s team-friendly contract that makes him such an attractive trade asset. Again, there is no way the Braves would consider moving him as long as they plan on contending in the years to come, but it’s tough to blame the media and spin doctors for suggesting current contenders make the call given how productive Acuña Jr. is on his current deal.
Such is the business of baseball. The Braves may hang up the phone, but don’t be surprised if teams make the call.
