{"id":73405,"date":"2025-08-04T01:34:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T01:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=73405"},"modified":"2025-08-04T01:34:30","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T01:34:30","slug":"breaking-braves-quietly-confirmed-marcell-ozuna-mistake-during-biggest-game-of-the-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=73405","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Braves quietly confirmed Marcell Ozuna mistake during biggest game of the season"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"relative z-10\">\n<div class=\"article-intro mb-4 text-black font-group-large md:font-group-normal lg:font-group-large\">The Atlanta Braves know Alex Anthopoulos screwed up.<\/div>\n<div class=\"mb-4 flex items-center justify-between text-darkGrey font-group-bigger\"><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"mb-0 md:mb-9 relative md:mx-10 md:mb-9\">\n<figure>\n<div class=\"overflow-hidden bg-lightGrey\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_360,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 1x,  \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 2x, \n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 719px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 1x, \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 2x, \n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 3x\" media=\"(max-width: 1079px)\" \/><source srcset=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 1x, \nhttps:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 2x,\n    https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_2160,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images%2FGettyImages%2Fmmsport%2F229%2F01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg 3x\" media=\"(min-width: 1080px)\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full\" title=\"Atlanta Braves v Cincinnati Reds\" src=\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_8640,h_4860\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/GettyImages\/mmsport\/229\/01k1rmz69qfnv0t8x72s.jpg\" alt=\"Atlanta Braves v Cincinnati Reds\" width=\"8640\" height=\"4860\" \/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"ml-1 pb-2 mt-4 md:m-3 text-darkGrey font-group-tiny\">Atlanta Braves v Cincinnati Reds | Jason Mowry\/GettyImages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex flex-wrap justify-center lg:justify-normal\">\n<div class=\"flex lg:mr-4 lg:w-[calc(70%-3em)] max-w-full\"><main class=\"min-w-0 flex-1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"viewablity-block\">\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">The\u00a0Atlanta Braves\u00a0surprised most of baseball at the MLB trade deadline, as they did not trade powerful\u00a0designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, or their former closer in Raisel Iglesias. Both players are on expiring contracts and seem likely to move on this winter. Ozuna has 10-and-5 rights, and was reportedly tougher than expected to move. Yet, Anthopoulos knows better than most it&#8217;s better to get something for a player on an expiring deal than nothing. Ozuna doesn&#8217;t have a future in Atlanta. Sunday afternoon proved just that.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">The Braves were in Bristol, Tennessee to play The Speedway Classic against the Cincinnati Reds this weekend. Considering how far back the Braves are in the standings \u2013 and the injuries they&#8217;ve been forced to deal with this season \u2013 it&#8217;s fair to call Sunday&#8217;s matchup the most important of the season for Brian Snitker and Co. They are on the national stage for what could be the final time this campaign.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Rather than roll with Ozuna in the starting lineup, the Braves benched him not once, but twice.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Braves send a message to Marcell Ozuna and Alex Anthopoulos<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Ozuna is not in the lineup for a good reason \u2013 he hasn&#8217;t played well enough. That is why trading Ozuna for something, anything, made the most sense for Anthopoulos. Instead, he let off-field problems get in the way. Ozuna was arrested on domestic violence charges and on a DUI a few years back. However, he&#8217;s been a positive clubhouse presence since then, and it&#8217;s become clear contenders were using Ozuna&#8217;s past as a negotiating ploy.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">The Braves didn&#8217;t start Ozuna on Saturday night. On Sunday, playing in a game that had been suspended due to rain and thus ripe for days off and pinch-hit opportunities, Ozuna also did not play.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Why aren&#8217;t the Braves playing Marcell Ozuna at DH?<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Atlanta is not playing Ozuna at DH for good reason. He has an OPS of just .759, which is about 50 points below his career average. The more Ozuna plays this season, the more his value will increase, thus making him impossible to re-sign should the Braves wish to do so.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Also, Snitker wanted to get both of his catchers at-bats, thus rotating rookie Drake Baldwin \u2013 who is in the running for NL Rookie of the Year \u2013 and Sean Murphy consistent opportunities. It must be painful for Ozuna to go out this way in Atlanta, a play where he revived his career following some tough off-field struggles, but it&#8217;s Snitker&#8217;s job to put the best players in the lineup.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1\">Right now, Ozuna is not one of those, which makes Anthopoulos&#8217; decision to hoard an extra designated hitter all the more confusing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Atlanta Braves know Alex Anthopoulos screwed up. Atlanta Braves v Cincinnati Reds | Jason Mowry\/GettyImages The\u00a0Atlanta Braves\u00a0surprised most of baseball at the MLB trade deadline, as&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":73406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-73405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Braves quietly confirmed Marcell Ozuna mistake during biggest game of the season - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=73405\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Braves quietly confirmed Marcell Ozuna mistake during biggest game of the season - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Atlanta Braves know Alex Anthopoulos screwed up. 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