Ronald Acuña Jr.'s 2024 season wasn't going exactly how he had planned. And on Sunday, it got even worse after the Atlanta Braves right fielder learned he had torn the ACL in his left knee.
This is now the third ACL-type injury that Acuña has suffered in his seven-year career. In 2018, he suffered a sprained ACL to his left knee, with Monday being the sixth anniversary of that, according to Braves beat writer Mark Bowman. Then in 2021, he completely tore the ACL in his right knee. The former led to only a month on the injured list. The latter led to him missing the rest of the season and then some of the next in 2022.
Unfortunately, with a tear in his left knee now, Acuña will be missing the remainder of the 2024 season and probably some of the next. This puts the Braves now without their prized leadoff hitter and right fielder, the reigning National League MVP from last season. The Braves now have to attempt to find his replacement for the second time in four years.
Finding Ronald Acuña Jr. trade replacements déjà vu for Braves
This is obviously a situation the Braves are familiar with going back to the 2021 season when Acuña tore his right ACL. Back then, Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos went out and made the most impressive moves of his entire career. Anthopoulos replaced Acuña with four more outfielders in Joc Pederson, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler, and Eddie Rosario. Those four helped the Braves then win their first World Series title since 1995.
Does Anthopoulos have the magic up his sleeve to do it to that level again? Things have changed a lot since 2021, including everything from the competition to the available options the Braves could offer and acquire.
I've said for the last couple of years that the Braves' farm system has been getting awfully thin. On the flip side, it's been a good problem because a lot of the good talent has been called up to the majors. But if Anthopoulos wants to go out and acquire proven talent in trade deals, he might not have a lot of negotiating power due to the lack of talent.
Anthopoulos has always found a way to make chicken salad, however. So, here are a couple of trade targets the Braves could go after.
Brent Rooker, Oakland Athletics
It's no secret that Anthopoulos has frequently looked toward the A's when building this latest version of the Braves roster. In the past three years, Anthopoulos has traded for both Matt Olson and Sean Murphy, and both have done really well to date. Plus, over the last few seasons, the A's have always been on a fire-sale, being typically one of the worst teams in the league and well out of contention well before the trade deadline. Right now, they're 22-23 and 6.5 games out of first in the American League West.
With that trend likely to continue, their outfielder, Brent Rooker, could become available. Rooker, 29, was mentioned last year as a trade option but the A's never made a deal. Rooker is hitting the best on the team currently, slashing .286/.368/.565 with an OPS of .933.
Tommy Pham, Chicago White Sox
If anything feels like an Anthopoulos move, it would be this one. Pham, 36, is definitely on the backend of his career but he's still proven to be productive. Pham ended up being beneficial to the Diamondbacks last year in their run to the World Series. Now, with the White Sox, he's slashing .313/.358/.445 with three home runs in 137 plate appearances.
Pham would also be a nice veteran presence in the Braves' locker room similar to how Joc Pederson was back in 2021. The outfielder is also no stranger to being traded before the trade deadline, as he has the past two seasons. In fact, that's likely the reason Chicago even picked up, hoping to use him as trade bait.
Joc Pederson, Arizona Diamondbacks
If the Braves are looking for a familiar, yet also productive face, then Joc Pederson is a strong candidate. Pederson became beloved by Braves fans when he was picked up by Atlanta in 2021. He also became an instant locker room leader for the team.
Pederson is currently with the Diamondbacks, last year's National League pennant winners, so this one is a bit of a long shot. However, Arizona isn't off to the best start so far this season. They are right now seven games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers and in fourth place in the National League West. But there's a lot of baseball left to play where the team could pick up some steam and get back in the race in the NL.
Jorge Soler, San Francisco Giants
Speaking of familiar faces, the name Jorge Soler is likely to come up several times. Anthopoulos loves familiarity — just look at Duvall and reliever Jesse Chavez. Soler was one of the four outfielders that Anthopoulos replaced Acuña with back in 2021. While Pederson will probably be remembered for his pearls, Soler, however, will be remembered for his monster home run he launched out of Minute Maid Park in Game 6 of the World Series.
If there was a time to get the slugger, it would probably be now for the Braves and Anthopoulos. That's only because they might not have to give up a lot for him. Much like when they acquired him back in 2021, Soler is struggling currently. He's slashing .217/.306/.382 with 40 strikeouts in 152 at-bats.
Follow Us
Subscribe