A Braves-Cardinals trade for Ronald Acuña Jr. replacement with outfield flexibility

The Atlanta Braves nightmare start to 2024 has gone from bad to worse. They've already lost Spencer Strider for the year, and it seems as though their entire lineup is in a slump at the same time. Not to mention, the Phillies lead the NL East as they're off to a historic start.

To add water to an already sinking ship, the news broke that Ronald Acuña Jr.'s knee injury is as bad as feared, being a torn ACL, requiring season ending surgery.

Atlanta needs MLB ready outfielders to fill this hole and they need to act quickly. It doesn't have to be a game changer. It just needs to be somebody they can rotate in and out, even if it's just a platoon spot for the time being. They can't continue with their mediocre May performance.

A Braves-Cardinals trade to partially patch Atlanta's Ronald Acuna Jr. sized hole

This trade isn't about replacing Acuña. There are, maybe, a handful of players in this generation that could replace the talent that Acuña holds. This trade is about patching a hole for the time being. Atlanta will likely need multiple players to fill the void as the season goes on.

One name, that also desperately needs a fresh start, is the Cardinals' struggling outfielder, Dylan Carlson.

Dylan Carlson has been horrendous for the Cardinals this season. But the outfielder is still just 25 years old, under team control for two more seasons and has flashed potential as an MLB outfielder in the past.

Carlson began the year 0 for his first 17. He hasn't had the ability to get his feet set under him in 2024, as he began the season on the injured list. This has resulted in spotty playing time and a horrible start to the season. He needs a fresh start. Bad.

Enter the desperate Atlanta Braves.

The Braves would need to be willing to part with Darius Vines, a pitcher that has struggled in his few MLB outings and David McCabe, a switch hitter with a good approach at the plate.

And the Braves likely will do this if they can land the Carlson of old. They would be trading for an outfielder who's just 25 years old, who is a former rookie of the year candidate, with team control.

It would be a risk for Atlanta given Carlson's 2024 play. The Braves need to begin putting the pieces together to fill the hole of Acuña and if Carlson can return to his rookie form, he would be a huge step in the right direction.