This year, Marcell Ozuna has been tearing the cover off the ball. He is slashing .340/.416/.670 with an MLB leading nine home runs and 31 RBI. These numbers have him flirting with a Triple Crown early on in the season.
Ozuna is in the last year of his four-year, $65 million contract, however, his contract includes a $16 million club option. This places him under the Braves’ control through the 2025 season. Recently, Ozuna shared his interest in staying with the Braves for a longer period of time. When asked by David O’Brien of The Athletic, Ozuna had this to say:
"There’s no way you want to go explore somewhere else when you feel comfortable, when you’ve got your teammates and you’ve got your organization’s love. There’s no doubt in my decision. I don’t want to go anywhere else."Marcell Ozuna
Ozuna has no desire to play outside of Atlanta
The Braves will have several other impending free agents on their hands at the end of this year. Some notable players include: Travis D’Arnaud ($8 million club option), Max Fried, AJ Minter, Adam Duvall, Tyler Matzek ($1.8 million club option), Aaron Bummer, and Charlie Morton who may retire after this season.
The Braves currently have the sixth highest payroll in the MLB eclipsing the Los Angeles Dodgers by over $2 million. While tough financial decisions will be dealt with after the season, the Braves aren’t likely to let Marcell Ozuna walk in free agency if he keeps up this level of production.
Ozuna finished the 2023 season with a career high 40 HR and a .274 AVG. The two-time All-Star won two silver sluggers, one in 2017 with the Marlins and one in the shortened 2020 season with the Braves. There is a long way to go before Atlanta has to make a decision, but perhaps Marcell Ozuna has played himself into the Braves long-term plan at DH.