The Atlanta Braves are 40-51, fourth in the NL East behind Philadelphia, New York and... Miami. This is not what Braves fans signed up for. This team was supposed to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024 campaign with a vengeance. Instead, it's more of the same, with Atlanta's stars slumping and the rotation in shambles. That puts GM Alex Anthopoulos under the microscope as the trade deadline approaches.
Most teams with Atlanta's talent just don't find themselves 11 games under .500 — even with critical rotation injuries. It's hard to put one's finger on what exactly is wrong with the Braves. Is this what Austin Riley and Ozzie Albies are now? Has Michael Harris lost it completely at 24 years old? These are questions Anthopoulos must answer. He also needs to decide between retooling and building out the farm system or standing pat and focusing all energy toward a resurgence in 2026.
FanSided's Robert Murray expects the latter. He reports that, according to sources, Atlanta does not plan to trade any players under team control beyond 2025. That would take Chris Sale, Sean Murphy and Ozzie Albies off the table, among others. We all knew the Ronald Acuña trade buzz never carried water. But the door is open for a Marcell Ozuna trade.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Braves might trade Marcell Ozuna with rest of core under contract beyond 2025
"Of the Braves players not signed through 2025, Marcell Ozuna is the most intriguing option (to be traded)," writes Murray. "The slugger hit 40 and 39 homers in each of his last two full seasons. While he’s hitting .239/.367/.390 with 12 home runs and 41 RBI this season, he still represents one of the best bats that could be available in July with no shortage of teams likely to be interested."
The odds of an Ozuna trade have been slowly ticking up for months now. He remains one of Atlanta's best hitters, but his production has declined meaningfully compared to his last couple of seasons. Moreover, there is only so much value in a mid-30s DH who cannot field and Atlanta was never going to pay the going rate for Ozuna in free agency. If this was one final go-around with a shot at the World Series, that would be one thing. But with their postseason hopes fading fast, the Braves would almost be irresponsible not to gauge the market for Ozuna.
With Acuña and Matt Olson swinging the bat so well, Atlanta will hope that Ozuna's production is not too gravely missed. It's too early to rule out a late-season playoffs push for the Braves — there are another 71 games on the docket — but at this point in time, with the trade deadline mere weeks away, it's time to weigh the odds. Unless Atlanta goes on a torrid win streak leading up to July 31, it's hard to imagine Ozuna sticking around.
He's a positive impact player, boasting a 1.1 WAR, but Ozuna is trending in the wrong direction. It's better to get off of him now and recoup value, rather than waiting until the offseason only to end up empty-handed.