Predicting How the Atlanta Braves will Fortify the Outfield in 2021
By Seth Carter
The Atlanta Braves have a big hole to fill with this off-season. With the clock ticking, here are a few options for Alex Anthopoulos.
As it stand, the Atlanta Braves outfield looks something like this: Ronald Acuna Jr., Cristian Pache, Abraham Almonte. and Ender Inciarte. Those are the only four outfielders on the 40-man roster, at the moment.
While Acuna is one of the best players in the game, there is a fog of uncertainty looming over the rest, especially in light of the Mets’ recent acquisition of Francisco Lindor.
Surprisingly, the Braves opted to non-tender Adam Duvall this off-season after he crushed 16 homers in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Cristian Pache has us all hopeful, but many openly speculate whether or not he is ready to take on a full-time role out of the gate in 2021.
Marcell Ozuna provided Freddie Freeman with protection akin to an Emprical shield generator. Sadly, that shield generator suffered the same fate of every other Emprical shield generator ever created. It’s gone.
With Ozuna and Duvall now free agents, Alex Anthopoulos needs to come up with at least one big bat in the outfield, maybe two.
Why the Atlanta Braves Probably Won’t Re-Sign Marcell Ozuna
The first place my mind takes me is to re-signing Marcell Ozuna. He brought an electricity similar to Josh Donaldson’s in 2019 and found himself in the MVP race with Freddie Freeman at the end of the season. His defensive play was a far cry from his younger days, but thankfully we had the DH last year.
Why it likely won’t happen: Ozuna probably won’t be had on a one-year deal this season. He took a prove-it contract last year with Atlanta and prove it he did.
Ozuna hit .338 and led the National League in HR (18) and RBI (56).
Ozuna has earned a long-term deal as he heads into his age-30 season. MLBTradeRumors.com has Ozuna projected at four-years and $72 million. Anthopoulos hasn’t shown a propensity to commit long-term for large dollars in his tenure with the Braves. He has found a lot of success with smart moves, and one-year deals on expensive veterans like Cole Hamels, Josh Donaldson, and Marcell Ozuna.
In 2021, the permanent implementation of the designated hitter remains only speculation. Some clarity on that could open up the market for Ozuna even further, possiby increasing his price tag. Without it, it’s tough to imagine that sort of sacrifice on defense for the entire 2021 season at that cost.