The Atlanta Braves are having a very difficult season. After seven straight years in the postseason, Atlanta has fallen to 10 games below the .500 mark and are now well out of contention.
Instead of looking to add pieces to their mix for a run, they might end up selling pieces off and deciding to retool for 2026.
One piece that they could trade is designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. Plenty of teams will be interested in the slugger.
Should the Braves trade him, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report believes the Texas Rangers could be a fit.
“Because Ozuna is exclusively a DH at this point in his career, it wouldn’t make any sense for the Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees or Red Sox to get into the mix here, already possessing quality full-time DHs of their own. Can’t imagine Atlanta would dream of helping out the Mets, either,” Miller wrote.
“But could the 34-year-old be the answer to Texas’ poor-hitting woes?”
Ozuna is hitting .257/.395/.423 with 10 home runs, 30 RBI and an .818 OPS. He also has a 131 OPS+.
He is in the final year of his contract, so it would make sense for Atlanta to potentially shop him and see what they can get for him.
A contending team will likely be willing to pay a hefty price of prospects in order to land the slugger and boost their lineup. And if the Braves aren’t in the mix, then shopping him makes sense.
The 34-year-old slugger is a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and a former Gold Glove outfielder. He is strictly a DH now, so a team wouldn’t be looking for him to play any outfield.
But he could be the missing piece for a contending team and somebody that could net the Braves a big haul to set them up for 2026 and beyond.
