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By Andrew Gould
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The MLB offseason is off to the races, sparking radical pitches for improbable blockbuster trades.
Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer suggested six "wild" offseason trade ideas. Arguably the boldest one involves two rivals exchanging superstars.
Rymer floated the Philadelphia Phillies trading Bryce Harper to the Atlanta Braves for Ronald Acuna Jr. Since they're getting back the younger MVP on a lesser contract, the Braves would also receive shortstop prospect Bryan Rincon.
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"Bryce Harper should probably move on from Philadelphia, and Ronald Acuna Jr. should probably do the same from Atlanta," Rymer wrote. "Things for both players in both places have gotten…weird."
Rymer pointed to some contentious moments between Harper and the Phillies. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski questioned whether the two-time MVP was still an elite player after the 2025 season, and The Athletic's Matt Gelb reported in July that the relationship remained fractured after Harper said the team needed to acquire pitching and hitting help before the trade deadline.
After a first-round playoff exit to Atlanta, Rymer called Harper an "obvious" trade candidate if Philadelphia undergoes "a badly needed shakeup." The 34-year-old has five years and approximately $125.7 million left on his contract.
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Meanwhile, Rymer wondered if Acuna could use a change of scenery after batting .255/.345/.451 in a down year for his standards. The 28-year-old has also dealt with considerable health setbacks, twice tearing his ACL and playing 251 combined games over the last three seasons.
While acknowledging how unlikely it is for two competitors to make such an earth-shattering trade, Rymer feels the hypothetical move could benefit both sides.
"So, why not swap the two players?" Rymer asked. "The obvious answer is 'Because they're NL East rivals, you fool,' and that is fair. Even so, the shoe fits on both ends. The Phillies need youth and a right-handed bat, and the Braves need more present upside than Acuna has shown over the last two years."
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