Braves rumors: Marcell Ozuna deal?, Travis d'Arnaud future, Ronald Acuña Jr. timeline

"Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear." We call that gospel in the Buhler household. From the mouth of my late grandfather, to my fingertips hovering over a keyboard and into your dome, bruh. You're welcome, I suppose. Baseball season is over, and we have plenty of football to watch down in Braves Country. However, the Atlanta Braves are entering an interesting offseason.

Although the entire coaching staff will be coming back, we have to wonder what changes to the roster could be on the horizon. Factor in a slew of injured players coming back, and there are only so many roster spots to be hand. Plus, will any of the Replacement Braves have enough staying power to make next year's team? It is all going to be sorted out in the end, but first, what about these three?

While there was some debate about what to do regarding Travis d'Arnaud, his future with the Braves has alreasy been decided. As for when the Braves could be getting Ronald Acuña Jr. back, we may have a better understanding of what his timeline for injury recovery could be after tearing his ACL during Memorial Day Weekend vs. Pittsburgh. Also, is Atlanta putting Marcell Ozuna on the block?

Let's answer all of these very important questions with the latest healthy helping of Braves rumors!

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to, our weekly MLB newsletter, The Moonshot and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Atlanta Braves rumors: What is Ronald Acuña Jr.'s injury timeline?

One of the most significant injuries to the Braves this season was that to their best player, Ronald Acuña Jr. He unfortunately tore his ACL on the base paths over Memorial Day Weekend during a road series vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was not playing up to standard before that. While he could return to form at some point, don't expect a 40/70 season out of him whenever he does return to the Braves.

In David O'Brien of The Athletic's conversations with Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos, he reiterated that he is not going to put a definitive timeline on when Acuña will return to the Braves.

Here is what Anthopoulos said regarding the returns of both Acuña and pitcher Spencer Strider.

"Both of them could be Opening Day, could be middle of April, could be beginning of May, could be middle of May, could be beginning of June. I mean, that would be probably on the long end. And that’s not to raise alarm bells. You just don’t know. So I don’t want it to be, “Oh, man, they’re not ready Opening Day, they had a setback.” No, maybe the right thing if we’re giving them rest and so on, is beginning of May. Maybe the right thing is give them a little more time (until) beginning of June."

Anthopoulos did say that he will have a better gauge on their recoveries come February or March.

"If you ask me this question in February or March, we’re going to know (a lot more). When we get to spring training, we’re going to see where they’re at. Maybe Ronald’s running around and he feels great and Opening Day is a real thing. Maybe Strider has already thrown a ton of bullpens and he feels great. But if we need another month or two just to get them back in the flow, that’ll be a fluid thing for us in the winter. I think every month will tell us more."

Look. As much as it may frustrate Braves Country, this is the right way to go about this. We are talking about an outfielder dealing with an ACL tear and a starting pitcher dealing with a UCL injury. Saying they are going to be back on Opening Day when it may be closer to June is not smart business. For the time being, let's just assume that neither Acuña or Strider will be helping the Braves until June.

The Braves are better when they are on the field, but there is no need to rush them back just yet.

Atlanta Braves rumors: What is Travis d'Arnaud's status for 2025 season?

It was an easy decision, but also the smart one. Travis d'Arnaud will be back with the Braves for at least one more season. He, along with designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and left-handed relief pitcher Aaron Bummer were extended their club options for the 2025 MLB season by the Braves. All three played critical roles in this team overcoming such great adversity to even make it to the postseason.

MLB.com's Mark Bown had the contract details ready as soon as those club options were extended.

For d'Arnaud in particular, this was such an easy call to make. He has been an integral part of this team since coming over from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020. d'Arnaud won a Silver Slugger, a World Series championship and made an All-Star appearance in an Atlanta uniform. He also got to 10-plus years of MLB service time in Atlanta. More importantly, he helped offset Sean Murphy's awful season.

In my estimation, this is the biggest reason why Atlanta cannot afford to let d'Arnaud walk. Through two years, the Braves clearly don't trust Murphy. He was great during his first year with the team, but had a year from hell after straining an oblique in Game 1 of this year. He had no confidence at the plate, and was not effective at all trying to throw runners out. Murphy had a brual season for Atlanta.

For only $8 million, it made all the sense in the world for Atlanta to extend d'Arnaud the club option.

Atlanta Braves rumors: Would team actually trade away Marcell Ozuna?

This is dumb, and I can't believe I have to address this. While the Braves may need to address its lineup, especially with Jorge Soler being under contract, I can't really fathom Atlanta trading Marcell Ozuna away this offseason, especially after he was extended his club option for $16 million. We are talking about moving on from one of the best hitters in baseball when he is on an affordable contract.

Grant McAuley pointed out the Braves' predicament when it comes to their outfield/DH situation.

Yes, the idea of selling high on Ozuna could be good, but you would have to trade him to an American League team, right? Why on god's green earth would you want him hitting with a vengeance on another NL club? I'm not down with that, and you shouldn't be either. Since Ronald Acuña Jr. is still working his way back from an ACL tear, the Braves have more time than you would think to react here.

More importantly, I think Atlanta could retain Ramon Laureano at an affordable price in arbitration. The Braves are going to be big spenders for their standards again this offseason. Unfortunately, I don't think any of that extra cash is going to go to Max Fried in his free agency, as he is almost certainly walking. Charlie Morton is probably retiring, so there may be more money to work with.

Right now, I think trading Ozuna away would be foolish, even though that day could arise one day.