The Atlanta Braves had high expectations for this season. While they didn’t spend a lot of money (or some would say enough money) in free agency, they felt like they were getting two high-priced additions with the return of Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr.
While both players have returned to the field, it hasn’t turned the Braves into a contender, leaving them to have some uncomfortable conversations ahead of next month’s trade deadline. With just over a month to go, it might be becoming apparent that one veteran needs to go and may have just spent his last June with the franchise.
The Braves Will Trade Marcell Ozuna at the MLB Trade Deadline
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos was adamant his team wasn’t going to be sellers at the deadline but things have changed in the wake of Chris Sale’s injury. With the Atlanta ace out for a significant amount of time, it could change Anthopoulos’s plans and make designated hitter Marcell Ozuna available.
Ozuna has been a big bat in the middle of the Braves' lineup for the past six seasons since coming over on a free agent deal before the 2020 season. The 34-year-old has hit .269/.349/.498 with 138 homers and 382 RBI during his time in Atlanta and was an All-Star last year, hitting .302/.378/.546 with 39 homers and 104 RBI.
Letting go of a big bat is always difficult, but Ozuna may be making things easier with his performance, hitting .247/.376/.401 with 11 homers and 40 RBI in the first 78 games. That still is good enough for a bunch of offensive-starved teams looking to make a playoff push and would make sense if Anthopoulos realizes his team isn’t climbing out of the 10.5-game hole in the National League East division and the 7.5-game deficit his team faces in the Wild Card race.
That last part may be the most difficult hurdle in a trade. Teams will be willing to acquire Ozuna, but the Braves feel like they are built to win now. This may be true on paper, where Acuña, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, and others are in their 20s. But it also feels unlikely with the starting rotation resorting to trotting out 20-year-old Didier Fuentes to keep them afloat.
While the Braves have turned an average team into a World Series champion with modest moves during the 2021 deadline, it’s unlikely they’ll catch lightning in a bottle twice. That could throw Atlanta into sellers at the deadline and end Ozuna’s tenure with the Braves.