3 Braves trade packages for Alex Anthopoulos to replicate 2021 magic replacing Ronald Acuña

The Atlanta Braves general manager, Alex Anthopoulos, has his plate full with the 2024 season. He has already been dealt the issue of relacing Spencer Strider, the preseason favorite for the NL Cy Young award. Now he's forced to try to replace Ronald Acuña Jr, the preseason favorite for the NL MVP.

But Anthopoulos has done this before. He worked a masterclass of a trade deadline in 2021, following Acuña's last ACL tear, replacing the outfielder in mere weeks with pieces that helped lead the Braves to the 2021 World Series.

Now, with just under two months before the deadline, Alex Anthopoulos will have to work that same magic again. Let's dive deeper into where he could start.

An Angels-Braves trade that sends Taylor Ward to Atlanta

Taylor Ward is likely to be the only player on this list that has the ability to play every day. Ward is having a pretty good 2024, where he's slashing .257/.323/.451, good for an OPS need .800. His power numbers have ticked up a bit from the past few seasons, where he has the potential to slug 25 home runs this year. He also comes with team control, under team control until 2027, raising his value quite a bit.

To acquire him, Atlanta could send a package of three prospects to Los Angeles.

Darius Vines headlines this package. Vines is the textbook definition of not fitting in an organization. He has the talent, but the opportunity to show it just isn't there as Vines waits his turn behind the Braves loaded farm system of pitchers.

Sabin Ceballos is a bat first infielder that has the potential to crack the big leagues in a few years. He's only played 56 professional baseball games to this point, so the outlook on him is blurry. The talent is absolutely there though.

Allan Winans is one of the older prospects in the game, coming in at 28 years old. His ceiling isn't much to call home about, but the Angels could use him to eat up innings as a middle relief guy, at the very least.

Ward to Atlanta makes sense, if the Braves can package the right prospects together to make it happen.

A Marlins-Braves trade to replace Acuna with an outfielder with team control

Bryan De La Cruz is a very similar trade idea to Taylor Ward. De La Cruz comes with an extra year of team control, where he's under team control until 2028. He's also a few years younger than Ward, but Ward is the more proven of the two, making the Marlins outfielder's value a bit lower than Wards.

De La Cruz is currently slashing .248/.304/.412 for the Marlins. His platoon splits are a bit odd, which makes him a difficult player to mock as a platoon outfielder for the Braves. He hits for a better average against lefties but all 10 of his home runs in 2024 have come against righties.

To acquire him, Atlanta would send the aforementioned Darius Vines, who desperately needs a career restart in another organization, the 5-5 switch hitting infielder Geraldo Quintero and MLB-ready outfielder Jesse Franklin.

Quintero won't change the game with his bat, but he can change the game with his on base and base running ability. He has a keen eye and rarely strikes out leading to a ton of walks and a ton of contact. When he reaches base, he's a plus runner and has the ability to steal 40+ bases a year.

Franklin is an MLB ready outfielder that has a ton of raw talent. He's struggling a bit in 2024, but he has good power, good speed and a solid glove. He would be a good addition in the Angels' outfield, whether that be now or down the road a bit.

Bryan De La Cruz would be a good piece for Atlanta to add because they would have him in their outfield rotation for the next few seasons.

A White Sox-Braves trade to send Tommy Pham to Atlanta for a few months

Tommy Pham is the only player on this list that's just a rental. The Braves would get half a season of the hot headed outfielder before they send him off to free agency.

But Pham has been good in 2024 and it could be worth a shot to take a flier on the 36 year old, especially because his asking price likely resides in the bottom half of a team's top-30 prospects.

A one for one deal sending Jesse Franklin V to the White Sox for the aforementioned Pham would likely be enough to get the deal done.

On the season, Pham is slashing .280/.331/.402, which is his highest average since the 2017 season in which he hit over .300. Pham adds the ability to hit for power on occasion and some serious fire in the dugout.

Pham can't replace Acuña by himself, but that wouldn't be what is being asked of him. He likely wouldn't play everyday, rotating in and out based on the matchups presented by the other teams pitcher. Atlanta will likely add a left handed outfielder to platoon with Pham, if this trade is done.

The Braves wouldn't be losing much if they traded Franklin for Pham straight up. It would leave plenty of flexibility in their prospect capital to make more deals alongside this one. Low risk, medium reward type of trade here.