Atlanta Braves: Three fun landing spots for free agent Marcell Ozuna
By Nick Stevens
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.