Phillies Shockingly Agree to Deal With Younger Brother of Rival Superstar
The younger sibling of a rival team is being courted by the Philadelphia Phillies to join their ranks.
While MLB free agency is the focus of most attention during the winter, and with good reason, teams all over the league are looking for ways to enhance their entire team.
Not so with the Philadelphia Phillies.
With the signing of Zack Wheeler to a substantial contract deal, they have secured the long-term commitment of many of their best players.
However, putting more of a focus on building a solid pipeline consisting of elite prospects, the Phillies negotiated an unexpected trade agreement with Kenny Acuna, the younger brother of Ronald Acuna Jr., the standout player for the Atlanta Braves.
Hector Gomez points out that because Acuna is only 12 years old right now, Philadelphia isn’t legally permitted to sign him until 2028.
There are still four years until an agreement between these two parties can be reached because international players who are at least 16 are eligible to join with teams as part of the international free agency class.
Even while there is a formal agreement in place, other teams in the league have a lot of time to potentially argue that Acuna should
It may take a while, but this could also mean that there are three of the brothers playing in the National League East in the future.
The New York Mets were able to acquire Luisangel Acuna at the trade deadline when shipping Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers.
For the Phillies, this is an extremely low risk move that could have a major impact on the future of their franchise.
If Kenny develops into a talented prospect like his older two brothers did, then they’ll have a potential franchise cornerstone who they were able to get into their organization at an early age.
Although it will be some time before it is possible to predict the trajectory of his career, Philadelphia is hopeful that in 2028 they will be able to get an Acuna brother of their own.
