3 Braves who weren’t traded at the deadline, but will be this offseason
By Josh Wilson
Braves who weren’t traded but will be this offseason: Marcell Ozuna
A year ago, could you even imagine Marcell Ozuna looking like a player that would be listed as a possible trade asset for the Braves? Heck no! Even into the first few weeks of this season, a DFA felt more likely than a trade.
Ozuna, though, deserves a ton of credit for making himself useful this season and proving his spot on the roster is a deserved one.
Ozuna has followed up a .226/.274/.413 season with a .234/.308/.474 season, taking his OPS+ from 86 last year to 104 this year. He already has 156 total bases this season after bagging 194 in 2022. He paced for a startling 440 per 162 games in 2020 (only 60 games total, Covid season), for scaling.
Ozuna has one year left on his current contract for $18 million, with a team option in 2025 for $16 million. Even though Ozuna comes with some baggage, both on and off the field, teams in desperate need of some designated hitting help could be persuaded into taking that final year off the Braves hands in a trade, risk associated and all.
If Ozuna keeps raking it as he has this season, though, it might not even take that much convincing.