Rivalry made easy as Phillies Agree to Deal With Brother of Rival
The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to get the younger brother of one of their rivals into their organization.
While the majority of attention during the off-season is given to the MLB free agency period, and for good reason, organizations across the league are searching for ways to improve their entire franchise.
After locking in Zack Wheeler to a lucrative contract extension, they’ll have many of their star players on the team for years to come.
But with more of an emphasis on developing a strong pipeline full of top prospects, the Phillies made a shocking move when agreeing to a deal with Kenny Acuna, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves’ superstar Ronald Acuna Jr.
As Hector Gomez notes, Philadelphia technically isn’t allowed to officially sign Acuna until 2028, since he is currently only 12 years old.
International players who are at least 16 are able to sign with teams as part of the international free agency class, meaning there is still four years until something can get completed between these two sides.
And while there is a verbal agreement in place, that is a long time for other teams around the league to potentially make the case that Acuna should sign with them.
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.
There’s still a lot of time before being able to project what his career might look like, but Philadelphia is hoping they’ll be able to get an Acuna brother of their own in 2028.
