At 27-32, the Braves are 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot. For a team that expects to compete for World Series titles every season, it’s been a dismal start, with key contributors falling flat on both sides of the ball.
Though the Braves certainly still have the talent to make a run, it can’t be taken for granted that they’ll turn things around by the Jul. 31 trade deadline. If they’re still below .500 at that time, they’ll have some awfully interesting decisions to make.
For instance, would Atlanta consider moving their most consistent and productive hitter of the season so far? Chad Jennings of The Athletic believes it’s at least a possibility.
On Wednesday, Jennings named Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, a three-time All-Star in the final year of his current contract, as one of the top players who will impact the trade deadline this season.
“Look, the assumption here — and just about everywhere, it seems — is that the Braves eventually are going to get on a roll that makes the playoffs a foregone conclusion,” Jennings wrote. “But two months into the season, they’re still a sub-.500 team with a 50-50 shot of making the playoffs.
“Ozuna, meanwhile, is approaching free agency while posting typically excellent offensive numbers, though he recently revealed he is playing through a hip injury. What if this Braves run to relevance never materializes? Wouldn’t Ozuna have to be on the trade block?”
With a .278/.420/.464 slash line, Ozuna hasn’t been part of the problem for the Braves. And even with the injury seemingly sapping some of his power, he’d be a bat any contending team would love to add (if they have room in the designated hitter slot).
Still, the Braves would have to continue to play far below their capability to think about dealing Ozuna. It’s not out of the question, sadly, but there’s time to prevent it.
