MLB insider Jon Morosi reported on Monday morning that the Braves have no interest in trading Ronald Acuña Jr. and will not be taking calls on him this offseason.
Ken Rosenthal added that he doesn’t believe Atlanta is interested in moving its star right fielder, and that the real focus shouldn’t be on whether the Braves trade Acuña but on whether they’ll commit to him long-term.
“Do they want to trade him? I don’t believe they do,” Rosenthal stated on Foul Territory. “They know at his best that Ronald Acuña Jr. is worth a whole lot more than $17 million. To me, the better question is what will they do with Acuña when it comes time to address his contract?”
This is the far more interesting conversation surrounding Ronald Acuña Jr. The Braves aren’t going to trade him. No matter your perspective on the situation, he’s going to be starting in right field for the club come Opening Day next year. But could they potentially look at this offseason as an opportunity to address his contract?
This winter could provide the Braves with a perfect buy-low opportunity. Acuña is coming off the worst season of his career in a fully healthy year. His injury history is already well documented, which should add some pressure on him to secure some sort of financial stability. Of course, that creates risk for the Braves, but if there were ever a talent who could be worth that gamble, it would be Acuña, who, at his best, is a top-five player in the sport.
One aspect Ken Rosenthal addresses as well is that the Braves do not view Acuña as a distraction, the way he’s often portrayed by the media. He’s someone who loves baseball and is solely focused on being the best player he can be. Are there some warts? Nobody is arguing that, but his personality certainly isn’t a burden to the clubhouse.
If the Braves don’t get something done this offseason, and Acuña goes out and has a monster 2027 campaign, no matter how short the season is, their window to sign him to a reasonable extension will be closed. At that point, you could consider Acuña as good as gone based on how Atlanta has approached things with most of its stars in recent memory.
“Do they want to trade him? I don’t believe they do.”@Ken_Rosenthal says the bigger question for Ronald Acuña Jr. may be what the Braves eventually decide to do with his contract… pic.twitter.com/JWzee0xUvJ
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 9, 2026
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