Brewers Trade Hypothetical Lands Braves' Ronald Acuña Jr. For 5-Player Package

It's a wacky idea, to be sure...

Jun 17, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13) throws the ball against the New York Mets in the second inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The idea of the Milwaukee Brewers trading for a superstar to anchor their lineup is admittedly enticing.

For the last couple of seasons, the Brewers have been an offense worth more than the sum of their parts. Sure, there have been standout performances at times from William Contreras and Jackson Chourio, but in general, the Brewers need a full team effort to win most nights.

A game-changer like Ronald Acuña Jr. of the Atlanta Braves would make the Brewers a formidable force in the National League. But even if Milwaukee's farm system is strong enough to hypothetically trade for someone like Acuña, that player is rarely available via trade.

But seeing as July is the month for crazy trade ideas, one baseball writer has a pitch to bring Acuña to Southeastern Wisconsin.

On Tuesday, ESPN's David Schoenfield proposed a wild hypothetical blockbuster in which the Braves would ship Acuña to Milwaukee in exchange for shortstop prospects Jesus Made and Luis Pena, outfielder Sal Frelick, and right-handed pitchers Abner Uribe and Logan Henderson.

"Milwaukee's offer is enticing with two premium hitting prospects in Made and Pena, but it's a riskier package as the 18-year-olds are a long way from the majors and neither is a lock to stick at shortstop, a big offensive hole in the Braves' lineup," Schoenfield wrote.

Acuña isn't just a great player, but he's extremely cheap for one. He's making only $17 million every year from now until 2028 (the last two years are club options). At age 27, he'll be adding to his All-Star appearance total of five if he can simply stay healthy.

It's just not realistic to think the Brewers could pull off a trade of this magnitude--a trade that would dwarf the shock factor of the San Francisco Giants-Rafael Devers blockbuster from last month. But that's not stopping the trade idea machine from churning.

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