Atlanta Braves: Three fun landing spots for free agent Marcell Ozuna
Where will Atlanta Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna play in 2021? Either one of these three landing spots would be a lot of fun to watch.
Coming off one of the more impressive seasons of his career and without the weight of a qualifying offer attached to him, former Atlanta Braves outfielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is back on the free agent market, likely to receive the high dollar, multi-year deal he was looking for last offseason.
His one-year deal with Atlanta turned out to be a fantastic deal for both parties. Ozuna played in all 60 games for the Braves, hitting .338 with a 179 wRC+, 18 home runs, a 14.2% walk rate, and an impressive .431 on-base percentage.
Despite questions about his defense and no clarity on whether or not the National League will have the DH again next season, at least ten teams are reportedly interested in signing Marcell Ozuna, which isn’t a surprise considering his offensive capabilities.
With that being said, here are three likely landing spots for Marcell Ozuna in what is a highly uncertain market.
Atlanta Braves
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Atlanta Braves finished 2020 with one of the top offenses in baseball, one that carried this team into the playoffs with injuries decimating the pitching staff.
It’s also a lineup that is primed for a strong run over the next few seasons with Freddie Freeman, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Ozzie Albies forming one of the more electric cores in baseball. Bringing Marcell Ozuna back into the fold seems like an obvious choice to keep the band together for 2021 as management addresses the starting rotation (Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly already signed).
After committing nearly $30 million to Morton and Smyly, it’s hard to believe any “financial struggle” talk coming out of Atlanta. Even so, with Steve Cohen now in place in New York and ready to flex some cash, Atlanta needs every weapon they can acquire to maintain their dominance in the NL East next season.
Atlanta lost out on Josh Donaldson last year. They can’t let another impact player slip through their fingers, if they believe Ozuna can keep his offense rolling and don’t mind that there is a possibility (small, but still there) that there is no DH in the NL next season.
If Atlanta fixes their rotation woes, 2021 should be another fun year for Braves fans.
The Washington Nationals need a power hitter like Marcell Ozuna in their lineup.
Let’s keep it in the NL East and look at the Washington Nationals. The Nats struggled in 2020, but they have the financial flexibility to make some moves this offseason.
DJ LeMahieu has been a recent target of Washington, but if the Yankees are able to keep their guy, or the Mets jump in with a late steal, Washington will have plenty of cash to throw towards Marcell Ozuna.
Washington is in need of a left fielder and, like every NL team, will need a DH if allowed next season. They also have a young and explosive duo at the top of their lineup in Juan Soto and Trea Turner.
Adding Ozuna into that mix to clean up with his powerful bat greatly improves Washington’s lineup and helps put them in a position to battle with the Atlanta Braves and keep with any possible moves New York makes. Ozuna is comfortable in NL East ballparks and familiar with his divisional foes after spending last season in Atlanta, so there wouldn’t be much of an adjustment there.
The Nationals ranked in the bottom-third of the league in home runs last season, while Marcell Ozuna led the National League with 18, nearly 30% of the total number of home runs all Nationals hitters combined to hit last season.
The Nats have a solid core that can get them back into the playoffs in 2021, adding Ozuna would be a huge push towards that goal.
The Chicago White Sox with Marcell Ozuna in their lineup are a very dangerous team.
What about a switch to the American League? Ozuna has never played for an AL team in his career, but if an AL team comes calling with an offer he can’t refuse and MLB hasn’t announced their plans for the DH in 2021 (leaving NL teams to wait out on hitters like Ozuna), he could find himself making the switch next season.
One AL team to watch for in the Marcell Ozuna sweepstakes is the Chicago White Sox.
With a lineup featuring Tim Anderson, Jose Abreu, Eloy Jimenez, Yoan Moncada, and Luis Robert, adding Ozuna would be the icing on the cake. The hiring of Tony La Rusa to manage this young and extremely exciting ballclub was an utter disaster of a decision by ownership, but there’s so much talent on Chicago’s roster, it’s hard to envision this team letting any off the field or managerial distractions bother them.
The AL Central is there for the taking for Chicago, with Cleveland ready to sell off anyone who makes a moderate salary and Detroit and Kansas City still a few years away from contention. The Twins will be a challenge, but if Chicago can enter 2021 with another power hitter like Ozuna in their lineup and no room for opposing pitchers to take a quick breath, Chicago becomes a contender for a deep postseason run next year.
The Mets could another fit, but with a productive outfield already in place and Steve Cohen seemingly more eager to pull off a few trades rather than sign multiple big name free agents, if the Mets do sign an outfielder, it could end up being George Springer over Ozuna. Texas is another team that’s been thrown out as a possible landing spot, but the Rangers seem content in going with their youth movement and looking towards the future.
Markakis falls short again. dark. Next
Wherever Marcell Ozuna ends up, he’s going to provide an instant upgrade, even if he has to play a significant amount of time in left field. Hopefully, his market shakes out soon with the Winter Meetings upon us.