Atlanta Braves

Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuna underwent surgery to repair his torn ACL on Thursday.

The injury occurred during Atlanta's July 10 road game against the Miami Marlins.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Marlins second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a line drive deep into right field. Acuna made a valiant leaping effort to catch but fell just short. Unfortunately, Acuna landed hard on his right leg and fell to the ground:

He tried to walk off the field on his own power but had to be carted off instead:

Prior to the injury, Acuna posted 24 home runs, 52 RBI and a .281 batting average (.985 OPS).

The 23-year-old is one of the game's brightest young stars. His four-year MLB resume includes the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year awards, two All-Star Game honors and two Silver Slugger awards. Atlanta won the National League East during each of his first three seasons.

Acuna's best season was 2019, when he led the National League with 127 runs and 37 stolen bases in addition to accumulating 41 home runs, 101 RBI and .883 OPS.

Losing him for any amount of time is a tremendous blow to the Atlanta lineup. He's one of the game's best hitters and the heartbeat of a team that has been a NL powerhouse for much of the past four years.

Atlanta will have to move on without Acuna, however, as the team searches for its fourth straight division title.

The Atlanta Braves may be struggling in the 2021 season, but they aren't interested in parting with superstar first baseman Freddie Freeman, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. 

And the feeling is reportedly mutual:

The Braves are just 44-45 on the season, four games behind the New York Mets in the NL East and seven games behind the San Diego Padres for the second wild-card spot in the National League. 

Worse, star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL on Saturday, ending his season. 

"The only thing I can say is that I'm obviously going to put maximum effort to come back stronger than ever," he told reporters Sunday. "If was giving 500 percent before, I'm about to start giving 1,000 percent."

With Acuna out for the year along with Huascar Ynoa, Mike Soroka and likely Ian Anderson, you could hardly blame the Braves if they called the 2021 season a wash and became sellers before the July 30 trade deadline. Nothing has gone to plan this year—the bullpen has struggled, the lineup has underachieved and injuries have been an issue. 

Cursed season, indeed. 

Freeman has been steady though slightly disappointing after his fantastic MVP campaign last year, hitting .274 with 19 homers, 50 RBI, 58 runs and an .871 OPS. That's about in line with his career .891 OPS, though it's far below the epic 1.102 OPS he notched last year. 

Still just 31, the five-time All-Star has plenty of excellent baseball left in the tank. But he'll also be an unrestricted free agent after the season, which is why it wouldn't be shocking if the Braves chose to shop him. Atlanta is the only team the California native has played for since he was drafted in 2007 and made his MLB debut three years later. 

But it would be hard to imagine the Braves without him. For now, it sounds as though neither the Braves or Freeman can (or want to) imagine it either.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. has already turned his attention toward his rehab after suffering a season-ending torn ACL in his right knee during Saturday's 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins.

"The only thing I can say is that I'm obviously going to put maximum effort to come back stronger than ever," Acuna told reporters Sunday. "If I was giving 500 percent before, I'm about to start giving 1,000 percent."

In 2019, Acuna signed an eight-year, $100 million contract extension with Atlanta through 2026 with club options for 2027 and 2028.

Acuna suffered the injury in the bottom of the fifth inning while chasing a fly ball from Jazz Chisholm Jr. that turned into an inside-the-park home run.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the 23-year-old star is expected to miss nine to 10 months, which means he may still be sidelined at the start of the 2022 season.

Replacing his production will be a daunting task for the Braves. He was slashing .283/.394/.596 with 24 home runs, 52 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 82 games prior to the injury. He was named a starting outfielder for the National League in the 2021 All-Star Game and said he plans on attending the festivities in Colorado even though he can't play.

"(Being selected) means a lot to me," Acuna said. "In that same sense, those fans who went out and voted for me, they deserve it as much as I did. I wouldn't be here without them."

Atlanta—44-45 and four games behind the New York Mets in the NL East—will likely turn toward veteran Ender Inciarte, known mainly for his glove, for far more playing time with Acuna sidelined.

Without Acuna and with the division already competitive with the 47-40 Mets, 44-44 Philadelphia Phillies and 42-47 Washington Nationals, it is difficult to envision the Braves winning the division for a fourth straight season.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury during Saturday's game against the Miami Marlins.

The Braves announced Acuna's MRI revealed a torn ACL that will require surgery. 

Acuna had to be taken off the field on a cart when his leg buckled as he was attempting to make a catch in right field.

Per David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Acuna attempted to walk a few steps being helped by three Braves trainers and had to stop before they brought out the cart.

The 23-year-old Acuna is one of the most talented young hitters in the game, and he is producing to the tune of .281/.392/.593 with 24 homers, 52 RBI and 16 stolen bases coming into Saturday.

Acuna, who is in the midst of his fourth MLB season, has been a star since making his debut with the Braves in 2018.

He was named the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year that season and followed it up with a career year in 2019 that saw him earn an All-Star nod, a Silver Slugger award and a fifth-place finish in the NL MVP voting.

That season, Acuna hit .280 and set career highs with 41 home runs, 101 RBI, 127 runs scored and 37 stolen bases. He also led the NL in both runs and steals that year.

Acuna dropped off a bit in the 2020 COVID-19-shortened season, but he still put up solid numbers, hitting .250 with 14 homers, 29 RBI, 46 runs scored and eight stolen bases in just 46 games.

That netted Acuna his second consecutive Silver Slugger award, and he finished 12th in the MVP voting, marking his third finish of 12th or better in the race for NL MVP during his career.

Acuna is perhaps the biggest key to Atlanta's success, and losing him for any period of time would be a massive detriment to the Braves competing for a playoff spot.

Acuna landing on the shelf would loom even larger than usual since slugging outfielder Marcell Ozuna is not with the team amid domestic violence charges and a finger injury suffered in May.

With the Braves forced to play the remainder of the season without Acuna, Freddie Freeman, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley and Dansby Swanson will primarily be tasked with picking up the slack.

Also, Ender Inciarte and Abraham Almonte will also see more playing time in the outfield.

Wednesday night, the Atlanta Braves thrashed the New York Mets. They scored 20 unanswered runs, and the fans at Truist Park in Atlanta politely golf-clapped the visiting team when it was all over. 

It was the kind of performance one might have expected from the Braves before this season started, but now they're 39-41, 3.5 games behind the Mets in the NL East, which is either the worst division or the strangest division in baseball, or quite possibly both. 

The Braves were a World Series pick before the season started, having come one win away from a berth in the 2020 Fall Classic. Yet they've spent most of the season in the middle of the division or close to the bottom. The Philadelphia Phillies and their bad bullpen have doomed them for the season and the Miami Marlins are still the same old Marlins, in the midst of one rebuilding phase after another. 

Outside of the division, the Braves are 8.5 games behind the San Diego Padres for the second Wild Card spot. Their best hope to reach the postseason is to catch up to the Mets and the Washington Nationals in the division. But they have yet to reach the .500 mark, and they'll need to get there first. 

How did this happen to a team that had legitimate NL pennant aspirations? Especially a team that has one of the best players in the league in Ronald Acuna Jr.?

But one player doesn't make a team a title contender. Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are proof of that. It's a combination of injuries, bad luck and general manager Alex Anthopoulos' inability to create any luck. 

The Offseason

The Braves made a few notable moves over the winter. They didn't make any big, splashy ones, but a good general manager won't overreact to a postseason exit by going out and grabbing big contracts that might solve some problems now but will create more in the future. 

Atlanta made some depth moves, like signing free-agent starting pitchers Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly, reliever Josh Tomlin, and solidifying the outfield with Marcell Ozuna and waiver claim Guillermo Heredia. 

Ozuna had a huge year in 2020, leading the National League with 18 home runs, so re-signing him seemed like a smart bet. But Ozuna declined sharply and found himself on the injured list for broken fingers. Shortly after that, he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault by strangulation and misdemeanor battery/family violence against his wife, Genesis Guzman. Police officers reported witnessing Ozuna grab Guzman by the neck and throw her against a wall in their Atlanta-area home in late May. 

He's currently being investigated by the office of the commissioner and remains out of the lineup. 

The pitching acquisitions have been fine, but nothing great. Morton is the one signing that worked out well, but Smyly is 5-3 with a 4.79 ERA and Tomlin has a 4.54 ERA. 

The Braves opted not to go after some of the the bigger pitchers on the market thinking Max Fried, Mike Soroka and Ian Anderson would be enough to only need supplementary pieces in the rotation. Anthopoulos probably wasn't wrong at the time, but reclamation projects like Smyly are always a gamble. He gambled on his offseason projections and lost.

The Injuries

Mike Soroka is out for the season with a torn Achilles, a devastating blow to the pitching staff and to a talented young pitcher. Huascar Ynoa, the surprising bright spot of the rotation, has been out since the middle of May with a fractured hand.

Catcher Travis d'Arnaud went on the injured list a few weeks before Ynoa. The pitchers the Braves needed to bolster the beleaguered rotation, like Touki Toussaint and Tucker Davidson, are currently on the IL as well. 

These are tough for most teams to get around, but some key players haven't been playing at the same level they did last season. 

The Declines

Max Fried, who received Cy Young votes last season, has not looked like the same pitcher. He has had some better outings in recent weeks, going 3-1 with a 2.63 ERA over his last four starts before a blister landed him on the IL. He has held opponents to a .195 average in that span, so he could be turning a corner. 

But Fried can't do it all on his own. 

Reliever A.J. Minter went from a 0.83 ERA last season to a 4.66 ERA this season. Sean Newcomb was optioned to Triple-A on Wednesday when Fried was reinstated. Once a heralded prospect, the 28-year-old has a 5.82 ERA in 21.2 innings. 

Ozuna's production diminished before his arrest. Even shortstop Dansby Swanson is just having an OK year and first baseman Freddie Freeman, the 2020 NL MVP, is having a down year. His strikeouts are up and his BABIP is way down to .280, well below his career average of .338.

The only player doing anything special is Acuna. 

What can they do?

We're getting closer and closer to decision day. The July 31 trade deadline is rapidly approaching.

Charlie Morton is only on a one-year contract, so he could be the first to be traded. They could also trade Freeman, which would be a heartbreaking move, but contract talks appear to be going nowhere and he would bring back some assets. 

The Braves could also consider packaging Swanson. He's young and still under team control for another year, so he might be an attractive piece as a rental who would last more than one year. 

If they aren't ready to give up, then they can make some moves to address areas of need, though this time Anthopoulos will need to swing for the fences. 

Starting pitchers Jose Berrios or German Marquez. Can they get Mitch Haniger out of Seattle somehow? The Mariners do have some outfielders coming up through the system, like Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez. Haniger would certainly replace Ozuna's power. 

If management thinks the Braves still have a chance, then they should go for it. But it would come at the cost of the future, because those players would require some serious prospect capital. 

Maybe that 20-2 win will turn the Braves around and they'll remain competitive throughout the rest of the season. But if the rest of this month goes the way the others have gone, they'll need to start bringing in assets for a reset of sorts.