Not that long ago it felt like a certainty Marcell Ozuna's tenure with the Braves would conclude after the 2024 season came to a close. However, the Big Bear defied the odds and managed to turn his career around with an offensive resurgence in early 2023.
Ozuna carried his powerful performance all the way through 2024 and finished fourth in NL MVP voting. The turnaround was so impressive that Ozuna played his way into the Braves 2025 plans. The big bear's slugged 79 homers over the past two seasons and swayed the Braves enough to pick up his $16 million club option for 2025.
However, with the 2025 season being the final year on Ozuna's contract does this spell the end of the big bear in Atlanta?
Big Bear 🐻#BravesCountry pic.twitter.com/2sPrPszBQ9
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 19, 2024
Braves have an important decision on Ozuna looming next offseason
Ozuna signed his original four-year $64 million deal in February of 2021, although the deal ended up being five years for $80 million after Atlanta exercised this year's option. Come next offseason the Braves have to decide if bringing Ozuna back is a smart move for constructing a winning roster in the future. Ozuna will play his 2026 season at the age of 35 so another four-year deal feels farfetched.
Ozuna's defensive limitations have made him the teams primary DH each of the last two seasons. Primary DH's on the free agent market don't generally command a long-term deal either. At this stage in his career shorter production based deals are in the cards for Ozuna. Deals similar to the contracts Charlie Morton signed many times with Atlanta.
Should Ozuna continue the production he had in 2024 many teams will be lining up to add his powerful bat to their lineup. Yes, the Braves would have the inside track at retaining Ozuna, but it wouldn't come cheaper than the $16 million he's playing on in 2025. As much as the Braves have committed long-term to their core players, no one is locked up very far past their age 34 season. It's clear Anthopoulos would like to steer clear of handing out big money on long-term deals to older players. Given that, tacking on one year deals with team options for another year seem like the most likely path forward.
Outside of pure cost, it's important for the Braves weigh other directions they could go for DH. Losing an impact bat like Ozuna would hurt, but the flexibility you gain from opening the DH spot could be a huge win. This could open the door for more time for Ronald Acuna Jr. to properly save his legs during the prime of his career. An open DH slot also allows for a strong prospect like Drake Baldwin to get ABs regularly while sharing catching duties with Sean Murphy.
We're also not sure how other guys' defense will hold up as they age. Players like Matt Olson and Austin Riley feel like they could be strong DH candidates for the backend of their career. These are the pros and cons Anthopoulos will have to weigh when Ozuna is on the free agent market once again. Will 2025 be the last season in Atlanta for the big bear? Or will Anthopoulos find a way to keep Ozuna with the Braves beyond next season?