It is fair to say that Marcell Ozuna's time with the Atlanta Braves was a rollercoaster to put it kindly. There were certainly some incredible highs including his near-Triple Crown during the COVID-shortenened 2020 season as well as his 2024 season where he posted a .925 OPS and finished fourth in the MVP race. However, there were also some injuries, some horrid seasons, as well as troubling off-the-field issues that may have prevented the Braves from trading him at the deadline.
After a disappointing showing in 2025, arguments for another reunion with Ozuna seemed to fall by the wayside. There was talk of rotating Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy at DH as well as some other, less costly free agent replacement options being floated as well if Atlanta decided they needed a full-time DH.
However, something seems to have changed. In the wake of trading for Mauricio Dubon. If the repeated hints from Braves insider Mark Bowman and other have been dropping are right, the idea that the Braves could bring back Ozuna seems to be gaining momentum after all.
There is more smoke around Marcell Ozuna returning to the Braves, but that may not end like they hope
The logic here is understandable at the surface level. Bringing in Dubon may mean that the Braves know that a true everyday shortstop that can hit is not going to happen this offseason as the market is truly bad there. If Atlanta has to slot Dubon in at shortstop everyday, they may need some guaranteed offense at DH especially with Murphy's surgery recovery an unknown. Ozuna is a bat that they know and may have some comfort in depending on the price point.
The problem with that plan hasn't changed, though. Yes, there may be a price where retaining Ozuna on a short-term deal would probably be okay. However, the contract he would probably actually require would likely prevent any pursuit of a shortstop worth having or make it that much more difficult for the Braves to fill out their rotation and bullpen. The other, bigger problem is that Ozuna is 35 years old and slashed .219/.335/.408 in the second half of 2025 and not all of that can be blamed on his lingering hip injury of debatable severity.
At the end of the day, the Braves seem like they are keeping all of their options open at this point of the offseason and that feels wise. All negotiations are in the early stage and we still have weeks before the Winter Meetings even start. However, don't be surprised when the dust settles and the Braves have made their next wave of moves that bringing back Ozuna is still on the table as an option.