On Friday, Ronald Acuna Jr. told reporters that he wanted to finish out his career with the Atlanta Braves. But if you know anything about the Braves, you know that is all likelihood of not happening.

Ronald Acuna Jr. expresses desire to finish career with Braves

“It’s not a secret that I want to be a Brave for life. It’s my hope that we can make that happen soon,” Acuna told David O'Brien of The Athletic.

It's really no wonder that Acuna, the reigning National League MVP from last season, is hinting at a contract extension. This would have been his final year under his initial deal with Atlanta. He's by no means blind or dumb, as we see the way he outsmarts opposing pitchers. But he also sees the fat contracts that his peers have signed, including last year's American League MVP, Shohei Ohtani, who just signed a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers.

Let's not get too crazy and say that Acuna is Ohtani by any stretch. I mean, Acuna hasn't gotten on the pitcher's mound… yet. But after the remarkable year that the Braves leadoff hitter had in 2023, breaking and making records, particularly his 40/70 feat of home runs (41) and stolen bases (73), had he not signed his 8-year, $100 million extension back in 2019, Acuna would be the hot topic this upcoming season like Ohtani was last year in his walk year with the Angels.

The impressive right fielder will earn $17 million this season, which in comparison to players like him — based on their age, contract status, and statistical production — will be the lowest paid by a large margin. Those players, according to Spotrac, are Francisco Lindor ($34.1 million), Carlos Correa ($33.33 million), Rafael Devers ($31.35 million), and Trea Turner ($31.2 million).

The Atlanta Braves' contract dilemma with Ronald Acuna Jr.

Dansby Swanson, Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr.

If you're a knowledgeable baseball fan, you know that the Braves are getting Acuna on a major bargain. Atlanta is notorious for handing out team-friendly deals. They currently have seven players, including Acuna, who will be in Braves uniforms through at least 2028 and who are on either six, seven, eight, or 10-year deals. Austin Riley owns the longest and most lucrative deal at 10 years, $212 million with an average salary of $21.2 million per season.

“You know what the scary part is? He's at an age where he's gonna get better,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told Bally Sports South reporters on Friday.

And the Braves were well aware of that when they signed him to an extension back in 2019 when he was just 21. He's now 26, just beginning to get into the prime years of his career, coming off the best year of his career statistically — and yet, he can get better?

Like when he's in the batter's box, Acuna is trying to get ahead of the curve — ironically how Atlanta did with his 2019 deal — giving the Braves ample time to work on an extension if that is indeed what they should choose to do. Acuna, and the Braves, will both be keeping their eyes peeled on recently acquired New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto and what kind of deal he earns/demands when he enters free agency after next season.

We know from history that the Yankees will pay; the Braves, however, will not. Acuna has had to watch two of his teammates join other teams over the past two years in first baseman Freddie Freeman and shortstop Dansby Swanson, both of whom were believed to be Braves lifers, like Acuna wants to be.

But as much as Acuna wants to sweet talk Braves higher-ups like general manager Alex Anthopoulos, the fact of the matter is that the Braves work on their own terms — they have no problem letting players walk away to other teams. That's especially the case for aging players looking for long-term deals.

The Braves let Freeman become a Dodger at the age of 31, while allowing Swanson to become a Cub at the age of 29. Should the Braves pick up Acuna's club options for both 2027 and 2028, he would become a free agent the following year at the age of 31.

One would think that if Acuna is wanting to finish his career in Atlanta, an extension would be somewhere in the range of 8-10 years at $300-$380 million. It's highly unlikely that the Braves would ever come close to making such an offer.

Going back to Riley, he'll be 37 once he becomes a free agent coming off his 10-year, $212 million deal. Unless there's a massive change in the Braves upper management, the Braves' way — signing young players to long-term, lesser deals, then asking them to accept extensions that are less than market value later — is the way if you're wanting to play for Atlanta. But it's also important to remember that the Braves, as of July 2023, are a publicly-held company. That means that every dollar they make is then put back into the team. The issue lies in the possibility that Acuna may not remain with the team in the future, as the Braves may be unwilling to allocate a large portion of their earnings towards retaining him.