A Braves-Mets trade to replace Ronald Acuña Jr. with unthinkable division rival

The Ronald Acuña Jr. knee injury has left the Atlanta Braves with a huge void in their lineup. They were dealt the midseason responsibility of replacing a superstar outfielder who was worth 8.2 WAR in 2023. A leadoff hitter that hit 40 home runs and stole 70 bases. That's the void that Atlanta is trying to replace.

So obviously it can't be filled with one player. Atlanta is going to need to make a few trades before the deadline in order to find a way to replace Acuña. One place where they could look to replace Acuña is within their own division, with the New York Mets.

The Mets are going to look to rebuild here soon, and they could trade a good majority of their roster. Starling Marte is among those likely to be traded and the Braves could end up being a good suitor for him, if the Mets are willing to trade him within the division.

A Braves-Mets trade to fill the Acuna void in an NL East interdivision deal

Atlanta could use the services of Starling Marte, at the very least as a platoon outfielder. Marte has smashed left-handed pitching, in a big of a small sample size, with an OPS+ of 132 against southpaws in 2024.

In order for the Braves to want to move prospects in the division, they must not be the high-ceiling, superstar potential prospects. The last thing they want to do is move a player that could end up turning into a perennial All-Star down the line.

This could turn out in a simple one for one trade. The Braves need an outfielder that can fill the void for them, better than the options in house. Marte does this. The Mets can get rid of Marte, and they would love a pitching prospect rated as high as Vines is within the Braves system.

Vines is a talented pitching prospect, but his timeline just never worked out for the Braves. He is probably good enough to deserve another chance at the big-league level, but he's just a few steps behind pitchers like Spencer Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver and Bryce Elder.

That's without mentioning the other top 10 prospects JR Ritchie, Hurston Waldrep and Owen Murphy, who also grade significantly better than Vines.

Vines would be a fringe top 10 prospect in the Mets system, probably one of their best three pitching prospects. Their system would receive a huge upgrade with this trade.

For the Braves, this is a win-win trade idea. They have no need for Darius Vines and they could fill a big void by adding Marte. These inter-division trades rarely, if ever, work out for both sides. This is one of the cases where we could see it happen, benefitting both sides.