With three weeks remaining until the MLB trade deadline, media outlets are beginning to concoct potential moves between teams.
And ESPN started with the Braves’ biggest superstar, proposing three blockbuster deals that would have Ronald Acuña Jr. on the move.
The chances that the Braves deal Acuña — who is under team control through 2028, including his club options — are low. In fact, they are likely lower than low. But it’s speculation season, so here are breakdowns of the three packages ESPN proposed:
Offer 1: Brewers send SS Jesús Made, SS Luis Pena, OF Sal Frelick, RHP Logan Henderson and RHP Abner Uribe
Partaking in this trade would give the Braves their potential shortstop of the future in MLB’s No. 8 prospect Jesús Made, but the 18-year-old is still unproven at the major league level.
Made will need time to develop — the Brewers signed him in January 2024, so he is still in high Single-A — and the Braves need a shortstop with a bat that is good enough to warrant taking Nick Allen’s glove out of the infield.
Luis Peña, the other shortstop the Braves would receive in the hypothetical deal, is in a similar situation. He is highly touted as the Brewers’ No. 3 prospect but is only 18 years old as well.
The trade would provide the Braves with a talented outfielder in Sal Frelick to replace Acuña. Frelick, who is two years younger than Acuña, hits for average and brings a similar athleticism to the leadoff spot, amassing 16 stolen bases with a .290 batting average in 90 games this season. He also won a Gold Glove award in 2024 for his defensive play in right field.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Finally, the trade would provide stability for a bullpen that will have multiple free agents in the offseason, while giving the Braves a talented — but young — starting pitcher.
Abner Uribe, 25, has a 2.01 ERA in 45 relief appearances for the Brewers this season and will not become a free agent until 2031, while 23-year-old Logan Henderson (MLB’s No. 91 prospect) posted a 1.71 ERA in four starts for the Brewers before being optioned back to Triple-A.
Offer 2: Mariners offer SS Colt Emerson, RHP Bryce Miller, C Harry Ford, OF Lazaro Montes and LHP Brandyn Garcia
Similar to the proposed Brewers deal, the Mariners’ potential trade package involves a highly touted shortstop in 19-year-old Colt Emerson (No. 18 prospect by MLB), but he too needs time to develop. Emerson is only in High-A, and although his defense is strong, he would be a hole in the Braves’ lineup.
Accepting the proposed trade would bring 22-year-old catching prospect (and Atlanta native) Harry Ford (No. 56 prospect) back to his home city, but the acquisition does not make sense for a team that already carries two high-caliber catchers in Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin.
The club could trade Murphy — and save $15 million in 2026 — but president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said he would not deal anyone under club control in a June interview with 680 The Fan, the team’s flagship station. And Murphy, a former All-Star and Gold Glove winner, holds the label until 2029.
The Braves’ replacement for Acuña in the trade would be 22-year-old Lazaro Montes (No. 29 prospect). He is batting .297 in Triple-A with nine home runs in 68 games but has yet to make his MLB debut, turning this into a risky deal for the Braves. Montes would be tasked with replacing arguably the most talented player in franchise history before he even stepped onto a MLB field.
Referencing caution, the Braves also would acquire pitching prospect Bryce Miller, who fell out of the rankings because of elbow inflammation. The 26-year-old possesses MLB experience — and performed well for the Mariners in 2024 with a 2.94 ERA in 31 starts — but struggled this season because of the injury with his throwing arm.
Left-handed pitcher Brandyn Garcia would round out the Mariners’ prospect-based package. But similar to four of the five prospects making up the proposed trade, the 25-year-old’s potential at the major league level remains speculative.
Offer 3: Rays offer SS Carson Williams, RHP Shane Baz, OF Theo Gillen, RHP Yoniel Curet and RHP Brody Hopkins
None of the shortstops mentioned in the three trades are ready to help the Braves immediately, but the Rays’ Carson Williams (No. 31 prospect) is the closest — at least in terms of age. The 22-year-old is partaking in his fourth full season in the minor leagues but is only batting .216 in 79 games for Triple-A this year. He’s also striking out in over 35% of his plate appearances, which is a habit that big league teams will take advantage of.
Accepting this trade would not provide the Braves with an immediate replacement for Acuña either. Instead, they would receive 19-year-old Theo Gillen, who is competing in Single-A and is ranked No. 67 by MLB, meaning the club would have to make another deal or sign someone in free agency to complete its outfield.
(And Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler and Eddie Rosario likely won’t be enough this time.)
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Three pitchers round out the hypothetical trade, but only Shane Baz has logged major league innings. The 26-year-old could help a depleted Braves starting rotation and would likely have success with a 4.34 ERA in 18 starts this season. He is arbitration eligible but under club control through 2028.
Yoniel Curet and Brody Hopkins are both in Double-A but could make the jump — and even bypass Triple-A, like the Braves have done in the past — within the next few years. Curet has a 2.70 ERA in 10 minor league innings this season (he missed time with a shoulder injury), while Hopkins posts a 3.35 ERA in 17 starts consisting of 80 innings.
The takeaway
The Braves trading Acuña almost reaches the point of unfathomable. The move would match the Red Sox trading Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in 2020 levels of drastic, and most saw how that deal turned out for the club (it’s had one winning season since).
But to play the hypothetical game, only one of the three proposed trades makes sense for the Braves. And that’s the one with the Brewers.
Accepting the deal would give the team a bona fide replacement for Acuña in Frelick — something the other two proposals lack — along with a highly touted shortstop the club could either let develop or flip for someone who could immediately contribute. (And if the Braves deal him, they still have another young shortstop acquired from the trade waiting in the wings.)
It would also would provide the Braves with bullpen help in Uribe, who is under club control for at least five more years.
But all that being said, Acuña is expected to stay in a Braves’ uniform for a very long time.
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