Braves Exercise Options On Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies

The Braves announced they’ve picked up their options on Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies. Acuña will make $17MM next season, while Albies will match this year’s $7MM salary. Those were Atlanta’s only option decisions this year. There wasn’t much suspense with either decision. The Braves weren’t going to cut either member of their core for what would’ve amounted to $7MM in savings. Acuña’s option came with a $10MM buyout that meant he’d only have been bought out had he suffered some kind of career-altering injury. Albies’ deal didn’t have a buyout but comes with a base salary akin to what solid utility infielders (e.g. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Willi Castro) make as free agents. The Braves have Acuña until team control for two seasons, as there’s another $17MM option on his deal for the 2028 campaign. That one doesn’t have a buyout, so it’d be a costlier decision, but it’s still highly likely to be exercised. Acuña hit 20 homers with a .255/.345/.451 slash line in a relative down year. He’s one season removed from a monster .290/.417/.518 showing after coming back from the second ACL tear of his career. This will be the final season of the $35MM extension that Albies signed early in his career. Atlanta has tacked on $10MM by picking up two club options along the way — a $4MM buyout on his first option was already factored into that $35MM guarantee — so he made a total of $45MM over a nine-year stretch. Albies handily outperformed those salaries, though he’s been more serviceable than great going back to the start of the 2024 season. MLBTR examined Albies’ recent production in greater detail last night. He’s coming off an ugly finish that dropped his season batting line to a pedestrian .237/.293/.392 clip — his second straight below-average year offensively. Albies still connected on 22 home runs and would have beaten a $7MM guarantee on the open market, so it’s an easy call to pick up the option, but the Braves could consider trade possibilities if they view second base as a place for an offensive upgrade. That’s complicated by the league’s most glaring need at shortstop, where they’ll need to re-sign Mauricio Dubón and/or make a move on the trade front. View Comments (10)