Atlanta Braves: The Future Without Josh Donaldson

The Atlanta Braves face a future without Josh Donaldson. Thus, they are in search of a replacement. Who is the better option, Ozuna or Castellanos?

The Atlanta Braves have secured two consecutive National League East titles and have yet to move from under the shadow of the reigning-champion Washington Nationals. They must confront a future without the services of Josh Donaldson and some notable names should be considered for his replacement.

The Nationals were luckily able to maintain the services of their superb starter Stephen Strasburg, while unable to retain control of the massively impactful third baseman Anthony Rendon – now a member of the Angels. This leaves an opening for the Braves to pursue, however, the absence of Donaldson makes the state of affairs just about even.

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Both slugging third basemen provide a domineering and menacing presence for opposing pitchers, as they seamlessly combine pure power with a knack for reaching base. Lineups that have become devoid of such a presence will undoubtedly suffer and therefore raise the comfort level of opposing hurlers.

Therefore, it would be the logical thought process for one to presume that the Braves brass is currently in pursuit of some form of replacement. Nicholas Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna remain unemployed and possess the clearest potential of the remaining free-agent class. Each of these players can provide substantial power from the right-handed batter’s box and easily slot into the middle of the lineup.

Ozuna is purely an outfielder and an above-average fielder in many regards, with the bonus of a stellar arm. Contrarily, Castellanos is a sub-par fielder in the outfield and at third base. The only value the former Tiger and Cub has over Ozuna is that he does not have the burden of a compensatory draft pick attached to him.

Ken Rosenthal went so far as to posit that it would be a wise decision for the Cardinals to sign Castellanos and then recoup the draft pick as another club satisfies their outfield needs with Ozuna. In such a case, the Braves would be in dire need of Ozuna, despite the resultantly messy outfield dynamic that would unfold.

Currently, Atlanta has Ronald Acuna Jr. Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Austin Riley, and Adam Duvall occupying the outfield spots on the roster. The Dominican born left fielder would clearly take precedence over all of these names, aside from the glaring exception of Acuna.

Perhaps, Riley could slide down to third base and, within this scenario, Ozuna would occupy left field with Acuna in center and Markakis in right. It is the decidedly more intriguing option, rather than having Castellanos displace far superior fielders.

Using the first half of 2019 as a template, one might be able to look past a sub-par second half in which he missed a full month with injury. He would have easily cleared the 30-home run plateau if an injury had not significantly cut into his playing time.

One thing is certain, an upgrade is needed for the Atlanta Braves lineup. Ozuna might be the most logical option with which to approach this deficiency.