Atlanta Braves should follow Arizona’s Lead and DFA Marcell Ozuna Now
The Atlanta Braves saw Marcell Ozuna bat .338/.431/.636/1.067 and presumably had a metric that convinced them to sign him to a four-year, $65M contract. His contract was a bad deal that became an albatross around the team’s neck.
There’s no point rehashing the red flags in Ozuna’s career to figure out why the team decided to throw so much money as a streaky hitter with questionable defensive ability.
Atlanta Braves Disappointing Contracts
Dan Uggla’s decline was more of a four-year slide down a muddy hillside. B.J. Upton’s decline began in Tampa during 2012, but his overall line looked better because he surged in August and September.
Upton’s two years in Atlanta produced a lower final line, and his contract was arguably as bad as Ozuna’s, but his value as a defender was enough for multiple teams to trade for him.
Whatever the analytics crew projected for Ozuna, we’ve seen a player who fell off the metaphorical cliff like Wylie Coyote on his worst day.
Since signing the deal, he’s batted .213/.273/.385/.658, a line supported by season’s .226/.274/.413/.687. When Ozuna hits the ball, his exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and barrel rate are above average, but he doesn’t connect often enough for it to matter, and it’s time to move on.
Addition By Subtraction
On Thursday, the Diamondbacks admitted their mistake and designated Giants World Series hero Madison Bumgarner for assignment, swallowing the remaining $34.3M on his contract. It’s time for the Atlanta Braves to grab a bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce and do the same with the $35,5M on Ozuna’s contract.
No team will take on Ozuna’s contract, so he’ll clear waivers. As a veteran, he has the right to refuse assignment and become a free agent, but I’d advise against that. His career is so badly damaged that he has to prove he can hit before any team takes a flyer on him, even at league-minimum pay.
Now For Something Totally Different
In situations such as this, the veteran player usually declines assignment, gains his release, and searches for a new home. Uggla caught on with the Giants for four games and received a World Series ring. The following season, the Nationals gave him 141 PA before releasing him, but Uggla was hitting better at the end than Ozuna is now.
If Ozuna accepts assignment, he doesn’t have to uproot his family or leave them in Atlanta while he joins another team’s minor league system. He’ll get playing time and consistent ABs with Gwinnett.
The Braves don’t need the roster spot, so if he miraculously finds his stroke, they can recall him and get some value from the deal. Regardless of his off-field issues, the team has a significant investment in fixing him, which makes a trip to AAA beneficial for both sides.
I don’t expect this to happen, but if he wants to continue playing, a team that thought enough of him to give him the contract and has room on their roster is his best chance of getting back this year.
A Roster Crunch is Coming
The club will DFA Ozuna, the only question is when. When Michael Harris returns, the Atlanta Braves will have to make a move on the active roster. Sam Hilliard is playing superb defense and crushing the ball at the plate, making Eli White the obvious odd-man out . . . unless they DFA Ozuna.
Travis d’Arnaud is eligible to return now and took batting practice today but remains on the concussion list as I write this. Concussions are serious business, and d’Arnaud’s value to the roster includes more than squatting behind the plate every other game; it makes sense to protect him as much as possible.
Chadwick Tromp is the obvious candidate to leave when TDA returns, but I’d DFA Ozuna instead. Tromp is considered a very good defensive catcher, and at this point, he’s as likely to run into one as Ozuna.
How’s That Going To Work?
Murphy’s going to catch most games this year because he’s the better defender. Tromp is a dependable backup who worked with the young pitchers at Gwinnett last year. As a DH this season, d’Arnaud is 9-18, but as a catcher, he’s only 2-15. It makes a lot of sense to keep Tromp and use d’Arnaud DH when he returns.
When Harris returns, White departs, and the Braves lineup would look like this.
- Acuna RF
- Olson 1B
- Riley 3B
- Murphy C
- Hilliard LF
- d’Arnaud / Rosario DH
- Harris II CF
- Grissom SS
- Alibies 2b
This lineup is deeper, and Tromp, Kevin Pillar, Ehire Adrianza, and the DH not starting on the day improve the look of the bench. Using d’Arnaud like this also adds utility-man type depth, as TDA can act as backup first baseman and emergency third baseman, as well as catching now and then.
That’s a Wrap
The Atlanta Braves are trying to win every day, and two unproductive bats in the lineup make that exponentially harder to accomplish. Hilliard’s earned an everyday job, at least while Rosario’s bat is still ice cold.
It’s time for the Braves to stop procrastinating and deal with the Ozuna problem. He needs to fix his swing, and AAA is the best place to do that. It’s going to happen sometime, so it might as well be now.