The Seattle Mariners are an interesting team, but frankly, they should be a bit better. The front office will have an opportunity to improve at the trade deadline, but if history repeats itself, the Mariners likely won’t make the moves that they have to. It’s been an unfortunate situation in Seattle, but nothing that the fan base can control. Ultimately, however, the fans in Seattle deserve better.
But recently, an MLB analyst proposed the idea of them trading for Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves. That was from none other than Joel Sherman, who suggested that the Braves should trade him now.
âShould they trade Acuna right now? Here would be my argument to the Atlanta Braves front office on why it would be valuable to do this right nowâ¦,â Sherman said on MLB Now. âCan you see a championship in the next few years? I donât, because (Ozzie) Albies has gone the wrong way, (Michael) Harris (II) has gone the wrong way, (Chris) Sale will be 37 next year, you donât have depth in your farm system.
Mariners Need an Injection of Talent
Sherman later added that the Seattle Mariners would be the team that makes the most sense, and it’s tough to argue against his assessment. Trading for Acuna would put this franchise in an excellent position, pairing Julio Rodriguez with one of the brightest stars in Major League Baseball, who is only 27 years old.
However, the Braves really don’t have a reason to move on from Acuna. Heâs signed through 2026 and is only playing on an eight-year, $100 million deal, which is likely the best contract in baseball.
âNow I have to talk to the Seattle Mariners, who have made the playoffs one time since 2001. They are the only one of the 30 teams that have never made the World Series,â Sherman added. âThey are about to let the Zombie Astros win the division again, because they havenât taken advantage. Their right field production is the worst in the sport. Do you know what they have in the last Baseball America rankings? Nine, Top 100 prospects. They have a lot of duplication in the middle infield. What do the Braves need? Is there a Soto trade to be made here?â
Do the Mariners Have the Trade Package to Acquire Acuna?
It remains uncertain if the Atlanta Braves would ever consider moving on from Acuna, but there’s also a possibility that he could decide to leave in free agency eventually. Of course, that seems unlikely, but who knows?Â
If they trade him, the Seattle Mariners would make sense, as many consider their farm system to be one of the best in baseball, with MLB.com recently naming it the fifth-best in the league.Â
âTheyâre tied with the Cubs for the most prospects on the Top 100 (seven), and theyâre all hitters. The Mariners have been collecting bats from everywhere and that lucky seven consists of four draftees (all high schoolers) and three high-level international signees. Thereâs a nice group of arms right behind this group, with 2024 draftees Ryan Sloan — whom many think could quickly jump onto the Top 100 — and Jurrangelo Cijntje, followed by ’24 breakout Logan Evans to give the top 10 a little more balance. This is definitely a system on the rise,â they wrote.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Mariners Trade Pitch Lands Ronald Acuna Jr. After Insider Urged Braves to Move Star appeared first on Heavy Sports.