Braves rumors: 3 reasons Alex Anthopoulos would never trade Ronald Acuña Jr.

3. Ronald Acuña Jr. is a superstar

The Atlanta Braves are trying to win now. They won 101 games last season despite Acuña being a shell of himself. Imagine how good they’ll be if and when he’s back to playing at the elite level we all expect.

If the Braves do trade Acuña, it’d be impossible for them to be better than they were with him, at least right away. They’d get a haul for sure, but it’d likely be prospect-centered. The Braves, a team trying to win now, would be worse.

Acuña is simply too good of a player to trade. Forget the value, just focus on how good he is.

He’s hit .293 before. He’s hit as many as 41 home runs. He’s driven in as many as 101 runs (as a leadoff hitter!) He’s stolen as many as 37 bases. He’s an athletic freak who can run anything down in right field while also possessing an incredibly strong throwing arm. He’s a five-tool player.

When healthy, I can only think of a small number of players who are better than Acuña. Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Jose Ramirez, and who else? Players like Juan Soto and Bryce Harper feel very debatable to me.

There are too many reasons the Braves would never trade Acuña. The fact that he might be a top-five player in the sport when healthy is the cherry on top.