The Atlanta Braves have had a horrendous season to date. After reaching the postseason in seven consecutive years, Atlanta finds themselves 10 games under .500.
At 27-37, they are 14 games back of first place in the National League East and 9 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race.
As such, we may see the Braves look to sell a few pieces off rather than buy and improve their club for the stretch run.
Mark Bowman of MLB.com lists slugger Marcell Ozuna as the team’s most intriguing trade chip.
“If the Braves continue to slide and end up sellers, teams will be interested in renting Ozuna’s power bat for a couple months. The veteran slugger seems to be swinging with less restriction after battling hip discomfort during the early part of this season,” wrote Bowman.
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Ozuna is in the final year of his five-year, $80 million contract with the Braves. He’s hitting .257/.397/.430 with 10 home runs, 28 RBI and an .827 OPS.
The three-time All-Star could bring back a solid haul of prospects for the Braves if they decide to hit the reset button. If last year was any indication, Ozuna, as a rental should be able to accomplish that for them.
He possesses power from the right side of the plate. He doesn’t provide much value defensively anymore, but his bat is worth investing in if a team wants to make a push towards a World Series title this coming fall.
It’s unlikely that the Braves will recover from this slump, and it appears that selling is their best course of action.
We’ll see where Ozuna lands.
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