Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. challenges Dodgers, Freddie Freeman on Instagram

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. isn’t backing down from the NL frontrunner Los Angeles Dodgers and Freddie Freeman, and even said so publicly.

Acuña Jr. isn’t expected back until late April at the absolute earliest, but he sounds as confident as ever in his team’s ability to repeat as World Series champions.

Yes, the Braves lost Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers. And yes, the Dodgers potential lineup looks increasingly scary by the day. There’s no taking that away, and it’s a huge loss for Atlanta.

But given Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos some credit for making up for the loss of Freeman the best he can. Anthopoulos brought in the likes of Kenley Jansen to solidify the bullpen, and even traded half his farm system for a new first baseman in Atlanta native Matt Olson.

Speaking of Olson, he received a long-term contract extension of his own, so he isn’t going anywhere.

By the time Acuña gets back, Atlanta should be well-positioned in the NL East, at least in the early going.

Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. ready for challenge of beating Dodgers, Freddie Freeman

Acuña Jr. commented on an Instagram post, appearing to challenge the Dodgers this coming season. The post, which featured the Dodgers likely lineup, was meant to amp up Los Angeles baseball fans.

Instead, it caught the attention of the new face of Atlanta’s franchise.

https://twitter.com/cantguardjake/status/1505289965030326280/photo/1

“Nos Vemos in Octubre” means we’ll see you in October. That’s a direct challenge to the so-called Dodgers preseason hype machine.

The Braves still reign supreme in the National League, and baseball as a whole, until proven otherwise. No fancy lineup graphics, or the addition of Freeman, can change that.