By: TJ Hartnett

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Ronald Acuna, Jr. had a stellar showing in spring training for the Braves this year.

The heir apparent to left field led the team with four home runs in 16 games to go along with his bonkers slash line of .432/.519/.727. Oh, and he also stole 4 bases.

To sum up, the kid is good and he’s going to win Rookie of the Year; once he makes the big-league club.

That’s right, Acuna has already been demoted to Triple A despite having the best spring of anyone on the team and he’ll begin the season in Gwinnett, just as predicted.

Don’t fret however, because he’ll be donning his Atlanta uniform on April 13^th.  Write in down in pen.

The reason for this decision comes down to money and player control, not that anyone in the Braves’ front office would say so publicly. It’s the same situation that the Cubs found themselves in with Kris Bryant, the Philles with Maikel Franco, and the Astros with George Springer.

Due to complicated and pretty stupid Collective Bargaining Agreement details (the players are really going to have some things to say when the current CBA expires) if the Braves keep Acuna in the minor leagues through April 12^th, they’ll get an extra year of at the end of his initial contract before he’s eligible for free agency.

Essentially Atlanta is trading two weeks of baseball’s best prospect in 2018 for a full year of a player entering his prime six years from now. A fair trade, if you ask me.

It’s a loophole that will almost certainly be closed in the next few years, as it does deny the players involved a whole year of potential big money but the Braves will reap the benefits for now.

As they should, because this is not the same situation as the Cubs were in in 2015, when they were a competitive team. Bryant being held back and the interim third basemen going 1-for-12 in the three losses out of five games might have actually made a difference to Chicago, who could have had home field advantage in the Wild Card Game with just one more win (they beat the Pirates in Pittsburgh anyway, mind you).

A few losses due to some lesser left fielders taking the field instead of Acuna will have no such impact for Atlanta.

I know it’s disappointing for those who bought Opening Day tickets (see you there), but let’s not pretend that two weeks of Acuna are going to make or break the Braves’ 2018 season.

The Nationals are going to win the NL East again (and lose in the first round again) and a few extra at-bats by our best prospect isn’t going to stop them.

The Wild Card is going to be out of reach as well. I think the team is going to be able to take some steps forward this year but there are better teams out there who will secure those spots.

The Braves won’t find themselves in the cellar (hello, Miami) but the youth and inexperience of the pitching staff will prevent them from finding a way into the playoffs this year.

On the other hand, in six years’ time those pitchers will be in their primes and so will the likes of Dansby Swanson, Ozzie Albies, and Ronald Acuna, Jr.

There will be more use for him on the other end of this contract than there is right now and that’s why the Braves are doing what they’re doing.

This demotion was expected and its good business. Ronald Acuna, Jr. will be here soon anyway, on April 13^th.