Marcell Ozuna replacements Braves can target via trade or free agency
Marcell Ozuna replacement the Atlanta Braves need to start considering right now.
The Atlanta Braves were already going to be without outfielder Marcell Ozuna for roughly the next six weeks after he suffered fractured left ring and middle finger last Tuesday night. But after his arrest Saturday on charges of “aggravated assault strangulation” and misdemeanor battery, he’s facing a much longer absence.
Ozuna is facing jail time, and separate from that a lengthy suspension from MLB. How long that suspension would be is unclear, as suspensions under MLB’s domestic violence policy have been wide-ranging. But the league office doesn’t need to wait for a legal resolution to levy discipline, and Ozuna being done for the season is possible.
Shifting to on-field implications. After hitting .338 with a 1.067 OPS and 18 home runs on his way to finishing sixth in NL MVP voting last year, Ozuna was off to a slow start this season (.213, .645 OPS). He re-signed with the Braves on a four-year, $65 million deal after that surge last year.
They’ve only played two games since Ozuna was injured, due to an off-day Thursday and a postponement on Friday, but the Braves’ lineup fill-ins (Ender Inciarte, Guillermo Heredia, Ehire Adrianza) don’t inspire a lot of confidence. Atlanta is below .500 entering Sunday (24-26), but they are in thick of it in a tight NL East. If there are opportunities, they are definitely a buyer as the trade deadline gets closer.
On that note, here are five outfielders the Braves could acquire to replace Marcell Ozuna.
Marcell Ozuna replacements Braves can target via trade or free agency
5. Yoenis Cespedes, Free Agent
Almost anytime a team loses an outfielder right now, Cespedes’ name surfaces. A showcase in Florida during spring training provided an opportunity for teams to see him, after he played just eight games in 2020 before opting out. He also missed the entire 2019 season, and he has just 512 plate appearances since the start of the 2017 campaign.
At 34 years old now (35 on Aug. 1) and with his recent injury history in normal seasons, Cespedes probably fits best as a DH for an American League team. But the same thing was said about Albert Pujols when the Angels let him go, and the Dodgers wound up signing him. So the Braves, if only to add an option off the bench to (very) occasionally play left field, could have some interest in Cespedes.
Depending on what happens with Ozuna, and the timeline for a likely suspension (in terms of when and how long), Cespedes probably would not be the only outfield addition the Braves make if they went his direction.