Marcell Ozuna would be a huge trade chip for the Atlanta Braves if they chose to cash in.
The 34-year-old designated hitter has been one of Major League Baseball’s premier sluggers over the last three years, with 89 home runs since the start of the 2023 season. But he’ll be a free agent after the season, so trading him might make sense for Atlanta.
That situation only applies if the Braves believe themselves to be out of the playoff hunt, of course. But they’re not far from that point, as they sit nine games out of the third wild-card spot entering play on Thursday.
Meanwhile, teams without a full-time DH would love an opportunity to add Ozuna to their lineups. And that may include an American League Central team that’s noticeably lacking in power.
On Wednesday, Zachary Rotman of FanSided named the Cleveland Guardians as the top trade landing spot for Ozuna, citing the need for Cleveland to support star third baseman José RamÃrez in the middle of the order.
“Steven Kwan is an awesome table-setter, Jose Ramirez is one of the game’s best players, but who else in this Guardians lineup really scares you? Carlos Santana? Kyle Manzardo? I mean, Bo Naylor is third on this team in home runs. That’s a problem,” wrote Rotman.
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“For the Guardians to finally get over the hump, they’ll need to add a big bat to their lineup. There’s a good chance Ozuna will be the biggest bat out there. Considering how good of a fit he’d be with their AL Central rivals, the Guardians can’t let Ozuna out of their grasp.”
Ozuna isn’t hitting for power like he typically does, with a .420 slugging percentage so far this season. There’s a reason for that, too: the three-time All-Star is dealing with a hip injury that caused him to miss a series in April.
However, any team would gladly sign up for his .395 on-base percentage. And if a few more balls start carrying over the wall, he could lead a middling team like Cleveland to the promised land in October.
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