Reds possible trade target steals a Ronald Acuña Jr. replacement from the Braves

Over the last few weeks, the Atlanta Braves have been left scrambling trying to replace Ronald Acuña Jr. in their lineup. This is an impossible task given Acuña's value as a leadoff hitter who stole 70 bases and hit 40 homers last year. Losing that kind of production completely crushes a team and that's exactly what's happened to the Braves offense.

Atlanta has been hot in the trade rumors so far, but they haven't yet made a move. One name they're continuously connected to is the right-handed outfielder, Brent Rooker from the Athletics.

But MLB analyst Jim Bowden connects another team to Rooker, which could cause a bit of an issue for the Braves.

Reds linked to Braves trade target outfielder Brent Rooker

Jim Bowden has linked Brent Rooker as a fit for the Reds, which makes a ton of sense. Rooker is exactly what Cincinnati needs.

Cincinnati needs offense in the biggest way possible, especially after the news that first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand may need season-ending surgery. Their right-handed outfielders, currently on the active roster, are Stuart Fairchild and Spencer Steer, following the demotion of Blake Dunn.

Not only would Rooker fill the role as a righty in the outfield, but he would immediately slot in as the most impactful bat out there as well. Rooker is slashing .258/.340/.512 with 13 home runs and 12 doubles. The righty would lead the Reds in OPS by quite a bit.

As of now, Baseball Reference gives the Reds a 36% chance of making the postseason, but they could see these odds drastically increase with an addition like Rooker. He would change the game and the way their lineup is set upon his arrival.

Rooker wouldn't just be a platoon option either. Of course, he would play against left-handed pitchers, but the Reds would need to slot him in the lineup against righties as well. His bat is too impactful to take out of the lineup.

For the Braves, this would just be another crushing blow to an already defeated team. The Braves have been one of the worst offenses in the league over the past month or so. For them to see one of their top trade targets be swept away, as Bowden seems to infer, would be crushing.