Braves’ top priority shouldn’t be Marcell Ozuna
By John Buhler
Freddie Freeman needs to be the Atlanta Braves’ top priority over Marcell Ozuna.
Extending NL MVP Freddie Freeman would be the best course of action for the Atlanta Braves.
Atlanta was one win away from getting to the World Series for the first time since 1999. A big reason the Braves played so well last season was the great power bats it had throughout the lineup. No two were more consistently profound for them than their MVP first baseman and the free-agent acquisition, turned designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. What if they cannot keep both?
Freddie Freeman has been the franchise’s cornerstone since 2013
This is not that hard. If push comes to shove and the Braves cannot afford both Freeman and Ozuna on new deals, Atlanta must prioritize extending Freeman, as opposed to bringing back Ozuna. Though Ozuna is an impending free agent, Freeman will be playing in the last year of his eight-year deal he signed with the Braves ahead of the 2014 MLB season. This seems obvious.
If the designated hitter becomes universal for 2021, then it gives Ozuna a better opportunity to return to Atlanta. But if not, then he might be good as gone. Atlanta recognizes he will never have another year quite like the one he just had, leading the NL in home runs and runs batted in. Given that he is a bit of a defensive liability in the outfield, he is nowhere near as valuable as the MVP.
With Freeman, the Braves get 162 games of Gold Glove-caliber defense at first base and a .300 hitter from the left side of the plate. Ozuna may have brought the energy this past season, as the straw that stirred the drink with Mix It Up. However, Freeman is the seminal foundational piece upon which this entire Braves organization is built. He must never wear another MLB uniform.
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Freeman may be a little bit older than Ozuna, but that should not matter. Braves Country has seen what he can do at first base for well over a decade. While they will love having Ozuna batting behind the reigning MVP in the middle of the lineup from the right side of the plate for another, it does not make sense for the amount of money he is slated to make if the DH is not universal.
Freeman will be the reason the Braves win a World Series in the next few seasons or not.