A Braves-Astros trade for Atlanta’s dream replacement, Ronald Acuña Jr.

Since Ronald Acuña Jr suffered a torn ACL late in his season, Braves fans began to wonder and explore options for who Atlanta could trade for to help replace their MVP outfielder.

One option, considered completely untouchable, is Astros Kyle Tucker. Houston absolutely does not want to trade Tucker and there are many good reasons behind it. This isn’t the kind of franchise you just roll over and leave. Tucker is having an MVP season. They still have a chance to compete.

Tucker is also signed beyond this season, making him a costly addition. As John Buhler of FanSided wrote in an article Tuesday, Tucker is not a real target for the Braves, at least not judging by the Alex Anthopolous story.

“(Tucker) is under contract for the remainder of this year and next year, reaching free agency in 2026. While he would help Atlanta’s roster, outfield and everything else, the price that Dana Brown will command in Atlanta is too much… Unless Brown wants to give his former Braves boss a discount, Houston is not selling Tucker cheaply. Bühler wrote.

What if Atlanta offered them a deal they absolutely couldn’t refuse?

However, all of this is purely hypothetical and speculative. Kyle Tucker hasn’t been signed to the Braves and Houston hasn’t started throwing him on the trading block. Just to be clear.

But that doesn’t mean Atlanta shouldn’t make a foolish attempt to acquire the sweet southpaw. He would be slightly more than a rental, coming with an additional year of team control as he enters his final year of arbitration this offseason. This means that this trade package will have to be huge.

This deal starts with the Braves’ No. 2 prospect, baseball’s 73rd-ranked prospect, Hurston Waldrep. Waldrep has incredible potential, with a plus-plus fastball and a plus-plus splitter. He was the Braves’ first-round pick a year ago, so it would be pretty surprising if they let him go so soon, but this is Kyle Tucker we’re talking about. No prospect is safe with Tucker on the table.

Nacho Alvarez is the Braves’ highest-ranked player in their farm system. He is a versatile prospect who has shown his innate ability to hit at a high level, despite being just 21 years old. Alvarez has daily starter written all over him.

The final piece in this package is 25-year-old Darius Vines. Vines has the ability to play at the big league level, but the Braves system is so loaded with pitching talent that he has trouble jumping over players above him. He desperately needs a fresh start in a new organization.

As for the Braves, they would get Kyle Tucker. They can do without any of the listed prospects for a year and a half of Tucker. The southpaw hit nearly 20 homers en route to challenging Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the NL MVP race.

Now add that bat to a lineup littered with All-Stars and silver sluggers and Atlanta has Acuña’s dream replacement. I’m not saying this trade will happen, but it would be foolish for Atlanta not to offer something like this.