A Ronald Acuña Jr. trade sounds like a strange idea.
Ronald Acuña Jr. Trade Idea Sends Former NL MVP to Surprising Contender originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
In theory, the Atlanta Braves have zero reason to trade superstar outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., especially when he's been among the league's top players since returning from a knee injury in late May.
However, Acuña might not be around forever, even if he's under team control through 2028. At some point soon, whether it's this month or the coming offseason, the Braves may start thinking about transitioning into the future—and a potential post-Acuña world.
Could the Braves accelerate the process and deal Acuña this summer? ESPN's David Schoenfield isn't against the idea, suggesting the Braves send Acuña to the Tampa Bay Rays in a 6-player trade.
Tampa Bay Rays acquire: OF Ronald Acuña Jr.
Atlanta Braves acquire: SS Carson Williams, RHP Shane Baz, OF Theo Gillen, RHP Yoniel Curet, RHP Brody Hopkins
Major League Baseball currently lists Williams as the sport's No. 31 prospect, with Gillen (No. 67) also cracking the top 100. Baz is 8-4 with a 4.34 ERA in 103 2/3 innings for the Rays, who entered Tuesday holding the AL's second Wild Card spot.
"Williams would be the key to the Tampa Bay trade," Schoenfield wrote, "but his sky-high strikeout rate at Triple-A has caused him to drop in the rankings and limits his offensive upside."
Indeed, Williams has struck out 113 times in 319 plate appearances. He's well on pace to top last year's 144 strikeouts at Double-A Montgomery, though his .765 OPS slightly makes up for it.
Although Acuña almost certainly won't win the NL MVP, he's nonetheless quickly working toward a top-5 finish. The five-time All-Star is batting .331 with nine homers, 18 RBIs, and a 1.011 OPS in 40 games; he's already posted 1.9 bWAR, trailing only first baseman Matt Olson (3.7) and catcher Sean Murphy (2.0) among Braves hitters.
Related: Former $41 Million All-Star Rips Ronald Acuña Jr. After Home Run Celebration
Related: Dodgers Predicted to Add Paul Skenes in 6-Player Trade
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Baseball
