The Atlanta Braves cannot, and should not, consider trading Marcell Ozuna to a division rival.
The Atlanta Braves won on Monday night, but remain in freefall until further notice. The Braves are in fourth place in the NL East, 13.5 games back of the first place New York Mets. Much of the Braves struggles can be linked to their pitching staff. Atlanta tried and failed to fix its bullpen problems by calling up Craig Kimbrel. After just one appearance, he was released. If the Braves continue to lose at this rate, Alex Anthopoulos may have no better choice than to sell at the trade deadline. Enter Marcell Ozuna, who is on the final year of his current Braves contract.
Ozuna is hitting .261 with 10 home runs on the season. At his best, the 34-year-old has 30-plus home run power. At his worst, he strikes out far too often and is pull-happy. There’s little in between, but thankfully for the Braves the last few years, he has played like an All-Star caliber talent. Ozuna is a three-time All-Star and two-time silver slugger. He could very well be the best offensive player available at the deadline if Anthopoulos chooses to sell, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan:
“Absent that, in Ozuna, an impending free agent, the Braves have perhaps the best bat that could be available…Beyond them, everyone of value with Atlanta is under club control next year, leaving the Braves as one of the likelier candidates to stay where they are and hope they get hot at an opportune time like they did in 2021.”
Braves could trade Marcell Ozuna at the deadline
Passan’s inclusion of Ozuna in trade rumors set off a chain reaction of aggregators claiming the right-handed power bat would be a tremendous fit on their team. This included Philadelphia Phillies fans, which appear stuck in a dystopian reality of their own in which they are trading for Braves leftovers. The Phillies are also 2-8 in their past 10 games and need a jolt. Acquiring Ozuna would be that, assuming this were MLB The Show. Rather, trading Ozuna will not be so easy for Atlanta.
Ozuna is, by all accounts, a great teammate. Off the field, however, he’s run into some problems. First, Ozuna has been arrested for a DUI. He tried to get out of the situation entirely by telling a police officer he was “Ozuna from the Braves.” Understandably, that did not work.
Trading Marcell Ozuna could be tougher than the Braves think
Second and most importantly, Ozuna was accused of domestic violence. Police body cam footage showed Ozuna choking his wife in a 2022 incident. He was suspended retroactively for the rest of the season, and the Braves opted not to release him on the spot. Ozuna apologized to his team and served his suspension. He also struggled at the plate, which added a spotlight to his off-field transgressions.
Since the 2023 season, Ozuna has turned his career around. If not, he would surely be unemployed by now. Still, his off-field past follows him and the Braves, making it all the tougher to trade him at full price. If Anthopoulos chooses to trade Ozuna at the deadline, this is something he will have to contend with.
