There may only be another few days to talk about the Atlanta Braves as trade deadline sellers, and it appears the baseball community is going to make the most of those few days.
After an 0-7 start, the Braves are 14-9. They’ve already moved up to third place in the National League East and trail the Philadelphia Phillies by three games for the final wild card spot.
May 1 is ridiculously early to talk about the wild card, but it goes to show that the Braves still have a lot of time to re-establish themselves as playoff contenders before they think about becoming trade deadline sellers.
But in the very unlikely event that Atlanta is truly out of the running by July, then one MLB Network analyst is correct: the Braves must trade Marcell Ozuna.
On Wednesday evening, MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger named Ozuna as the number-three “trade chip” who could be available at the deadline, as the 34-year-old is playing out the final season of a deal that adds up to $81 million after including his club option for 2025.
“Sorry Harold, I know you think the Braves are still a playoff team,” Amsinger said to co-host Harold Reynolds. “They’re turning things around. They could have an above-.500 record by the end of the weekend.”
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“But Marcell Ozuna, if they’re out of it, they’ve got to move him. His value is through the roof. When he plays, he’s massively important. So many teams need slug. They will give them tons of prospects for one Marcell Ozuna.”
Ozuna leads all of baseball with 26 walks in the early going, and even after going 1-for-13 in the team’s three-game series in Colorado, he’s got a .915 OPS and 155 OPS+. He showed last season he can put up those numbers for a full campaign (.925 OPS, 153 OPS+).
The three-time All-Star would be a huge get for somebody at the deadline, but if the Braves keep winning at the rate they have over the last three weeks, he’s not going anywhere at all.
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