The Atlanta Braves have gotten off the mat after their 0-7 start, but they're still languishing in last place.
Every season, there's a Major League Baseball team that misses the playoffs when no one expects it, and the Braves are hoping to avoid becoming that team. Their offense has been a huge issue, while the starting rotation has injury questions galore.
The odds are still in the Braves' favor to recover in time to fight for a playoff spot. But if this is truly a season from hell, is there a world in which Atlanta sells at the trade deadline?
If that unlikely scenario does play out, one baseball writer believes the Braves could get a serious haul for an impending free agent who is tearing the cover off the ball.
On Wednesday, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer named Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna as a trade candidate whose stock is "up" so far after the slugger's strong start to the season.
"Should the Braves continue to lag behind in a tough NL East, Marcell Ozuna would be an obvious piece to offload at the deadline. He's a pending free agent, after all, and a potential impact bat for a market that could be desperate for all it can get," Rymer wrote.
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"Ozuna also has 23 walks against 18 strikeouts, amounting to confirmation that the improved discipline he showed in 2024 has only gotten better. He's one of the true professional hitters in MLB today. Stock: Up"
In just 20 games so far this season, Ozuna has racked up 1.1 bWAR thanks to his formidable plate discipline. His 1.040 OPS ranks eighth in MLB of all qualified hitters, and he's got more walks than anyone in baseball.
Because the Braves exercised his club option, the final value of Ozuna's deal with Atlanta comes out to five years, $81 million. He'd be a relatively expensive rental bat, but Atlanta would get an immense prospect haul because he's truly one of the best hitters in the sport right now.
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