Buster Olney Says Braves Are In For Rude Awakening With Ronald Acuña Jr.

The Atlanta Braves have a looming contract decision to make on their star outfielder, Ronald Acuña Jr. The former MVP is set to make just $17 million in 2026, but several insiders have indicated that he could be due much, much more in the very near future.

He signed an eight-year, $100 million contract with the organization in 2019. In the years that followed, it proved to be a wildly team-friendly agreement, despite several injuries that have plagued Acuña over the last several seasons.

Acuña has suffered through ACL injuries in both knees that have cost him several seasons of games. But when he is healthy, the outfielder is among the best players in the game. He won the Rookie of the Year in 2018, the MVP in 2023, the Silver Slugger three times, and has represented the Braves as an All-Star five times.

His last healthy season delivered MLB’s first-ever season with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases. He also led the National League with a .416 OBP, 171 OPS+, and 149 runs, among several other categories.

In an interview with The Steakhouse on Sports Radio 92.9 The Game in Atlanta, ESPN’s MLB insider Buster Olney discussed why Braves fans may be in for a rude awakening with Acuña’s looming contract extension.

“He still has years to go on that contract, and he has also been significantly affected by injury in a couple of seasons. So if you’re the Braves, you’re going to want more information,” Olney explained. “And here’s the reality of how Alex [Anthopoulos] has operated in the past, when players get to that point where they have that huge market value price tag of a Kyle Tucker, of a [Shohei] Ohtani, a Juan Soto, the Braves don’t pay that. They don’t pay those numbers.

“The Braves feel like the best way to operate is to get the player at a potentially team-friendly contract, and if you don’t, you move onto plan B.”

Acuña may be entering the final guaranteed year of his contract, but the Braves still hold a pair of option years in 2027 and 2028 worth $17 million each that the club will almost certainly opt into.

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Far too often, the Braves’ star players who reach free agency (e.g., Freddie Freeman and Dansby Swanson) are going to receive a lot of attention on the open market. If a player like Acuña were to reach free agency, he would have the chance to reshape what the market looks like for outfielders.

If the Braves want to retain their star beyond 2028, an extension would need to come sooner rather than later. If they wait until he delivers another MVP season, the price tag will only go up.