Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. named trade candidate, and it doesn’t make sense originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Atlanta Braves played decent baseball in the postseason before running into an absolute buzzsaw in the Los Angeles Dodgers, something multiple teams haven't been able to get past over the past couple of seasons.
For the Braves, it's fair to say they're still a bit behind the Dodgers, but much of that is because some of their top players haven't performed well in big moments.
That even includes Ronald Acuna Jr., who had just two hits in this four-game set. Acuña also didn't have any extra-base hits, which is even more concerning for a guy who typically shows why he's one of the better players in baseball.
Acuna also struggled a good bit against the Philadelphia Phillies in the Wild Card round, getting one hit throughout that three-game set.
While it would be absolutely crazy for Atlanta to move on from him because of what he means to the organization, Bleacher Report doesn't believe that's the case.
The outlet recently named him as a potential trade candidate this offseason, and it seems safe to say that nearly every team in baseball would be interested in landing him if it happens.
“A chorus of boos rained down on Ronald Acuña Jr. as he grounded out to end the seventh inning in Game 4 of the NLDS, stranding a runner on second base and bringing his playoff line to 3-for-24 with zero RBI.
“Will that be his final at-bat in a Braves uniform? The 2023 NL MVP and face of the franchise had a good-not-great 2026 season, and a quick move to scrub the Braves from his Instagram account immediately after they were eliminated from the playoffs fueled speculation a split might be on the horizon this winter,” Bleacher Report wrote.
The interesting part about Acuna is that he could hit free agency at the end of the 2027 campaign.
He has team options in 2027 and 2028, so Atlanta could technically cut ties with him then. It wouldn't really make much sense to do so, especially without getting anything in return, but who really knows what could happen.
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