Once again, the Atlanta Braves are difficult to get a handle on. This team is definitely good, but it remains to be seen if Atlanta can put itself on the level of other National League contenders. It's way too early in the season to get caught up in straight wins and losses, but at 15-18, the Braves certainly have ground to make up.
The impending return of Ronald Acuña Jr. should help them get back on the right track. Acuña was National League MVP in 2023, but saw a gnarly knee injury derail his follow-up campaign. Now, with the Braves on the verge of welcoming back their five-tool superstar, the outfield depth chart is complicated. So much so, it could put Atlanta's most productive hitter on the trade block.
That is, of course, Marcell Ozuna.
As David O'Brien of The Athletic lays out, Atlanta has a good problem in the outfield. After struggling to field a competent three-man unit last season, the Braves are suddenly overflowing with productive talent in the lead-up to Acuña's return — and that's with Jurickson Profar out due to suspension, Jarred Kelenic demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett and Bryan De La Cruz DFA'd.
That abundance means Ozuna's future is more uncertain than ever before.
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Braves sudden influx of outfield production could push Marcell Ozuna out the door
"I’ve said, you never know when these guys might click,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told The Athletic. “You look at Eli (White), and if somebody shaved the beard and told you he’s 22, you could believe them."
Two recent additions to the Braves lineup, Eli White and Alex Verdugo, share .304 batting averages with an OPS above the .700 mark. Verdugo has been raking in the leadoff spot. White, in his third season with the Braves, suddenly looks like a full-time player. Both will see their roles diminish as soon as Acuña reclaims right field.
Should they, though? The Braves won't get Profar back until late in the season, at which point his production is far from a guarantee. Acuña is a dynamic athlete on offense, but he rarely translates those tantalizing tools into a consistent defensive presence. He has a canon for an arm and plenty of speed, but effort and precision are never high on Acuña's priority list.
There's a world in which the Braves opt to keep Verdugo and White more involved in the lineup, even upon Acuña's return, by transforming the 2023 NL MVP into a designated hitter. That would allow Acuña to reserve his efforts (and his health) for the offense, while also keeping reps open to Verdugo and White in the outfield.
It's a great plan, but there is one obvious problem. Marcell Ozuna is a full-time DH and he has been Atlanta's best hitter to date, slashing .287/.447/.475 with five home runs and 12 RBI. He's also a 34-year-old non-defender in the final year of his contract.
Atlanta could nix the outfield logjam (and keep ABs open for Profar once he's back down the road) by trading Ozuna, who feels destined to take a more lucrative contract elsewhere in free agency.
For a while, Ozuna has felt too important to Atlanta's offensive success to even consider a trade. If Verdugo and White continue to look like plus-impact outfielders, however, Acuña's return in late May or early June could mitigate the pain of losing Ozuna's robust power. Acuña is Atlanta's most potent slugger at the end of the day.