Potential Braves trade chip continues to improve value

When Ronald Acuna Jr. returns to the Braves, the club will have a surplus of outfielders, something that hasn’t been the case for quite a long time.

Though Michael Harris II has struggled at the plate, he’s still a Gold Glove center fielder. Alex Verdugo has cooled off recently, but he’s more than capable of platooning with Eli White, who might be the surprise of the 2025 campaign.

And obviously, Acuna will man right field. I didn’t even mention the $42 million signing. Alex Anthopoulos will have to decide what to do when Jurickson Profar returns from suspension, and some Braves fans might not like it, but Profar will be in the lineup if the circumstances call for it.

If the club is fighting for a playoff spot and/or the platoon of Verdugo and White struggles, Brian Snitker will have no choice but to play Profar, who is ineligible for the playoffs. Even still, a surplus, as I said.

That’s not even considering Jarred Kelenic, who is quietly improving his trade value in Triple-A Gwinnett. The club’s experiment to buy low on a once-promising prospect hasn’t quite worked out.

Since the Braves’ trade for Kelenic, the former sixth overall pick has accrued -0.1 bWAR, with a slash line of .222/.279/.381 with 17 home runs in 154 games, all of that good for an OPS+ that is 18% below league average.

Jarred Kelenic was so bad this season that the Braves had no choice but to option him. However, he’s taken it as an opportunity instead of a punishment. Since returning to the Stripers, Kelenic is hitting .289 with six extra base hits, two of which were home runs, including a three-run shot in the ninth inning of Gwinnett’s win over the Louisville Bats.

Kelenic has 11 runs batted in over 19 games in May, and he’s suddenly begun to rebuild his trade value. The Braves are expected to be active at the trade deadline, and if there’s a possibility that Alex Anthopoulos can flip Jarred Kelenic for anything at all, let alone a profit, it has to be seen a huge victory for the organization.