Atlanta Braves Rumors: Is a Marcell Ozuna trade in the works?
Almost the entirety of the Braves' offensive core is expected to stay with the team next year, so it's no surprise that most of the names we saw on Atlanta's lineups everyday this year haven't been thrown around this offseason. Matt Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Austin Riley are all young players who are expected to be retained by the team for another 5-10 years on annual amounts of money that work out very nicely for the team's payroll (which is to say that Atlanta signed them on absolute bargains). If the Braves are looking for trade pieces that will also allow them to get rid of some payroll burden, it leaves Marcell Ozuna — who is making $16.25 million, almost $4 million more than Acuña, until 2025 — as their best bet.
Ozuna is an incredibly effective DH, though even that seems like an understatement. At 33, he had a career best year in home runs and slugging (excluding the COVID-shortened season), second best in RBI, and third best in batting average, having seemingly found a second wind after his All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger 2017 season. The Braves have found themselves in an enviable position if their most expendable player still managed to hit 40 home runs and batted in 100 runs in 2023; it's even more enviable when you imagine what they might be able to get back for him.
Despite having an entire All-Star team on the field everyday, the Braves still need depth. With Ozuna, it could be possible for them to pull off something resembling their trade for Aaron Bummer, but in reverse, wherein Atlanta sends out Ozuna to get multiple players back. Although it's possible that Ozuna's troubles outside of baseball could hamper his worth, the right deal could absolutely still net the Braves multiple players in Ozuna's stead.