With the news that Spencer Schwellenbach broke his elbow and is out for the foreseeable future, there has been no shortage of "experts" that have declared the Atlanta Braves dead and in need of a massive sell-off at the trade deadline. Fans shouldn't be surprised by this because this time of year to make the news, you have to be cast as a potentially exciting buyer or a seller that could change the balance of power in baseball. The Braves probably aren't going to be buyers with all of their issues, and there is a real chance they could make the trade deadline very interesting.
The idea of trading Ronald Acuña Jr. is not new. There is just a segment of the population that doesn't like how he carries himself and lay in the weeds for any excuse to ship him out of town. Those are malcontents whose opinions do not matter here.
However, even experts like MLB Network's Joel Sherman seem to think that the Braves should really consider trading Acuña Jr. given their current trajectory. While trading a generational talent seems insane (and it is), there is a world where the Braves should at least listen.
.@Joelsherman1 makes the case for trading Ronald Acuña Jr. https://t.co/T2DI3GqPu1 pic.twitter.com/F5PF92CmkW
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) July 2, 2025
Braves trading Ronald Acuña Jr. is extremely farfetched, but that doesn't mean they won't listen
Now, we are only listening to Joel Sherman's position here because all Carlos Peña did was remind us that everyone should be glad he isn't a front office executive. Sherman's argument is that the Braves' competitive window is essentially closed because of the long-term injuries in their rotation, multiple players in the lineup have declined, and Chris Sale is getting old. Assuming all of that is true and he is right about the window being close, we have at least a reasonable setting for an Acuña Jr. trade.
Now, this is absolutely a stretch. This season may be a lost cause, but the idea that this Braves' roster is all of a sudden terrible and will stay that way is a tough sell. If Atlanta starts the 2026 season with a healthy Sale, Schwellenbach, and Spencer Strider and with Ronald Acuna Jr. and Matt Olson in your lineup, that is still the makings of a good baseball team. The idea that Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and Michael Harris II are all scrubs and the Braves can't replace Marcell Ozuna is pretty laughable.
However, it isn't impossible. If, and only if, the Braves conclude that they don't have the reinforcements coming from the minor leagues to sustain a winning club and are not able to spending enough in trades or free agency to fix this roster, trading Acuña Jr. probably should at least warrant some conversation.
Where the MLB Network guys get it completely wrong is that they don't think Acuña Jr. should command a package similar to the one the Nationals got for Juan Soto back in 2022. Even if we accept the hypothesis that Soto's value as a player in a vacuum at the time he was traded was higher than Acuña Jr.'s current value in a vacuum (debatable) because of Ronnie's knee issues, Soto only came with 1.5 years of team control whereas Acuña would come with 3.5 years of control including two team option years for 2027 and 2028 at a very reasonable $17 million each year.
That flexible team control is worth a LOT on the open market especially when you are talking about a guy that can win MVPs. Ideally, the Braves should try to extend Acuña Jr. and keep him as a centerpiece of their roster while the rest of the issues are worked out around him. However, if Atlanta doesn't think that is feasible for whatever reason and a team (like the Mariners as Sherman suggested) plopped a crazy trade proposal on the table for Acuña, they probably should at least hear them out.
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