3 Atlanta Braves playing for their roster spot in April
By Nick Halden
1. Marcell Ozuna is playing for his spot on the Atlanta Braves roster
The Atlanta Braves front office deserves immense credit for the bargain deals and players they have locked up long-term. If there is one major regret, it is the contract the team handed Marcell Ozuna. Though all three players were after Ozuna’s contract, Adam Duvall, Joc Pederson, and Jorge Soler all would have been better investments.
Ozuna was given a massive contract that has two years remaining with a $16 million salary in each of the final two seasons. Since receiving the contract, not only has Ozuna’s production fallen completely off but off-the-field concerns have arisen.
Already due to this, there was some thought the Braves would simply cut Ozuna, eating the final two years of the contract. There has to be some belief that Ozuna is playing for his job in the first weeks of the season.
While Atlanta might be patient considering the contract, if Ozuna doesn’t rebound, it would be surprising not to see the team move on from a player who is already a liability as a defender and must carry his value with his bat.
Far too often in key situations, Ozuna has come up short since the 2020 season, failing to put anything close to the numbers he produced in the pandemic-shortened year. Ozuna’s history suggests he is a far better hitter than the numbers he has put up each of the past two seasons. If that doesn’t prove to be the case quickly, don’t be surprised if the Braves decide it is time to move on.