Braves latest Ronald Acuña Jr. replacement is a former All-Star sign stealer

Since Ronald Acuña Jr. suffered his heartbreaking knee injury, the Braves have been left with a massive hole in their lineup. Speculation has surrounded them ever since with potential trade fits for the Braves to replace the young superstar.

To this point, they haven't made much of an attempt to aggressively replace Acuña. But that doesn't mean they still won't do it. Atlanta has been connected to a ton of different options, with any outfielder on an expiring contract being an option.

MLB insider Jon Heyman recently made a good connection. He connected a former All-Star to Atlanta, opening up the possibility that not many had yet considered.

George Springer emerges as a potential Ronald Acuña Jr. replacement in Atlanta

Heyman wrote about the Blue Jays, the state of their team and how they could look to move forward this season. Heyman mentioned the names of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and the aforementioned George Springer.

"The Jays could dangle George Springer but would need to pay most of his $25M salary. The Braves are a potential fit," Heyman wrote.

That's a tremendous connection for Heyman to make and it makes a ton of sense. Springer might be one of the most likely options that have been mentioned in the same breath as replacing Acuña.

The Blue Jays are paying Springer a ton of money this year and if they trade him, they will likely have to eat a good chunk of that contract to move on from him anyway, as Heyman mentioned.

On the season, Springer is slashing .204/.300/.304 with 11 of his 39 hits going for extra bases. His production has been down tremendously. This is the first year of his lengthy big-league career that his OPS+ has dropped below 100.

But a new home, especially surrounded by the talent that is in Atlanta, could completely change the course of his season. To be surrounded by the talent in that lineup would take a significant amount of pressure off his shoulders and it could help push him in the right direction.

Atlanta needs to replace Acuña, really badly. If Toronto is willing to eat a majority of the contract, George Springer might be the best possible option for Atlanta to explore.