Ronald Acuña changes agents years after signing insane team-friendly contract

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has officially changed agents, which may put him in a much better spot for the future.

In 2019, Ronald Acuña Jr. signed a contract with the Braves putting him under club control through 2028. That contract, as we now know, isn’t the best for Acuña.

He’s now officially with a new agent, which could work out extremely well for him in the future.

Though there’s no indication that he dropped his agent because of his contract and it’s unlikely the two scenarios have any relation to each other, it could be an underlying perk.

Under Acuña’s current contract ($100 million over eight years), he’s averaging roughly $12.5 million per season. He’s comparable to San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., who is making monumentally more than Acuña.

Tatis is signed to a 14-year $340 million contract, the third biggest contract in baseball history. Heading into the 2021 season, Tatis and Acuña were ranked back-to-back in MLB Network’s Top 100 players as numbers six and seven, respectively. Tatis had just 28 more MLB games recorded than Acuña when he signed his contract, and the two are very close in age.

Considering they’ve ranked nearly the same over roughly the same amount of time in the majors and have become some of the best players on their respective teams, they shouldn’t be making substantially different amounts.

Tatis playing shortstop certainly helps his value, but comparing the two shows just how undervalued Acuña is with the Braves.

Braves: Ronald Acuña signed less than his worth to begin with

Acuña signed his long-term contract to begin in the 2019 season, but considering his results in 2018, he could’ve gone for slightly more. At the conclusion of the 2018 season, he slashed .293/.366/.552 for an OPS of .918.

He’s, unfortunately, been faced with a plethora of injuries that have slightly hindered his performance since, but he’s still been extremely reliable and played through injury this past season to help the Braves in the playoffs.

All things considered, he’s an All-Star caliber player. He’s been one of the most impactful players in Atlanta, and he’s equaling out to making less than some outfielders he’s outperformed this season (Seiya Suzuki, for example).

Though he can’t explore offers and sign a new contract just yet, this could certainly help him go for what he’s worth in 2028.