Marlins reportedly asking for Ronald Acuna in Christian Yelich deal

Miami Marlins outfielder Christian Yelich expressed his desire to be traded through his agent earlier this week but that apparently has not lessened the asking price. In a segment for MLB Network, Peter Gammons reported that the Marlins told the Atlanta Braves that they are willing to move Yelich in a trade but discussions begin and end with top prospect Ronald Acuna.

Yelich’s agent told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick earlier this week that his client’s relationship with the Marlins was “irretrievably broken.” He added to that statement on Wednesday saying that he is thinking of skipping the team’s fan fest gathering in early February.

Gammons points out in the video that Acuna is a non-starter for the Braves. The Marlins are well within their rights to ask for the moon in a return for Yelich who is good, young and under team control through 2022. The problem for Atlanta is they are not to the point where acquiring Yelich puts them over the top in terms of contention. He would be a valuable piece of the puzzle yes but so is Acuna potentially.

This situation could drag on for a while with the Braves checking in from time to time to see if the price has changed. Atlanta has the prospect capital beyond Acuna to make a deal, it is just a matter of the Marlins being willing to move on their demands.