Braves veteran seeks new contract

However, directly behind Fried’s free agency is another important roster decision: what to do with designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. This season is the final year of a four-year, $65 million contract he signed following his Silver Slugger season in 2020, when he led the MLB in plate appearances (267) and the National League in home runs (18), RBIs (56), and total bases (145).

The first two years of the contract appeared to be a rare misfire for president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, as Ozuna batted a combined.222 with a.397 slugging percentage while appearing in only 172 games due to injuries and off-field troubles. However, the last two seasons have validated the decision, with “the Big Bear” hitting 49 home runs and a.284 batting average.

Ozuna now leads Major League Baseball in RBIs (31) and the National League in home runs (9), while also setting team records in all three slashline categories (.344/.416/.678). He told David O’Brien of The Athletic that he hoped to seek an extension that would keep him in Atlanta beyond this season, which is his final guaranteed year of his contract. “Yeah, there’s no way you want to go explore somewhere else when you feel comfortable, when you’ve got your teammates and you’ve got your organization’s love,” Ozuna told CNN’s Brian O’Brien. “There’s no ambiguity about my decision. “I do not want to go anywhere else.”

(The Braves do have a one-year, $16 million club option for Ozuna with a $1 million buyout, which appears almost certain to be exercised based on where we are right now.)

Should the Braves commit to an extension for Ozuna? Let’s examine the case for each decision.

Why Atlanta should re-sign Marcell Ozuna

The decision to bring Ozuna back is based on two factors: his on-field performance and his contributions to the clubhouse.

The on-field case is the easiest to make. Ozuna has been one of baseball’s finest hitters since May 1, 2023, when he turned around a poor start (.085 w/.397 OPS) with a monster series against the Marlins in his offseason home of Miami. His combined statistics are ludicrous.305/.375/.615, with 47 home runs over that span, tied for second with Kyle Schwarber of Philadelphia (and only behind teammate Matt Olson).

Unlike most of MLB’s finest hitters, Ozuna has been doing this on a daily basis from the designated hitter position, averaging four pinch-hit opportunities per game. According to Braves players, it is not something that every player can do. “It takes some getting used to,” Austin Riley said in early April. “Just from being continually tuned into the game; I feel like when you’re playing defense, you’re in the game and with the flow of it. As a DH, you may have to wait 45 minutes for your next turn. So, it takes a particular person to be a DH.”

Any argument for committing more guaranteed money to Ozuna begins with his on-field performance, which has been exceptional, but that is not the only way the veteran from the Dominican Republic has added value to the team.

Several Braves players have recounted how a Marcell Ozuna pep talk helped them, with Michael Harris II single-handedly thanking Marcell for his 2023 turnaround after back and leg issues had him batting.163 in early June. “Marcell came up to me and gave me the pep talk that I needed,” Harris said about his interaction with Ozuna during the eighth inning of a June 6th game against the New York Mets. “He told me that at-bat would mark the start of my season, and I’ve been hitting the ball hard and seeing it well ever since. He just reminded me that I have the potential to be one of the better players in the league, and just believe in myself and go out there and not worry about mechanical things, just go out there and play.”

From the time of that pep talk to the end of the season, Harris hit.335/.360/.552, with 16 home runs and 15 stolen bases in only 100 games.

Not only have young players benefited from Ozuna’s wisdom; last weekend’s hero, veteran Travis d’Arnaud, praised Ozuna’s remarks with driving his five-homer binge in eight at-bats. “He actually helped me four days ago,” d’Arnaud explained on Sunday. “We were in Houston, and things are (now) improving for me. He’s an excellent batter who understands how to hit, never tries too hard, and always has everyone’s back. “I’m glad I’m his teammate.”

Why Atlanta might not re-sign Marcell Ozuna

The reasons why Atlanta might want to re-sign Ozuna are very obvious: he’s been raking at the plate while also assisting others in doing so.

However, if you’re prepared to address it, the reasons Atlanta might not want to bring him back are equally obvious.

Ozuna’s two bad seasons to start the deal were due in part to a rut at the plate, but he also wasn’t available…and the reasons for his absence have a lot to do with the Atlanta front office’s future decision.

Ozuna shattered two fingers on his hand in May 2021, which sidelined him for the full year. While he was out, he received a 20-game MLB suspension for violating the league’s Domestic Violence policy, which was imposed after police were called to his Sandy Springs, GA home for a domestic disturbance. The accusations of domestic violence and aggravated assault were initially felonies but were eventually reduced to misdemeanors.

Not to be outdone, Ozuna was caught again for DUI in August 2022, pleading no contest and paying a $1,000 fine. Major League Baseball did not suspend him from any games for the infraction.

To his credit, Ozuna has never shied away from revealing his off-field struggles, freely discussing the treatment and other work he’s done to reconnect with his family while also avoiding circumstances like those that plagued him during his first few years in Atlanta. And, well, it worked. “I don’t have the struggles that I had before; I don’t have too many things on my mind,” Ozuna told the media. “Right now, I’m playing with a clean head, which is much better. When you had to go out there and hear the booing, that was on my mind. And I told myself, “Chill out and do what you need to do.” You know you can hit; they give you the chance.”

But, while the Braves clubhouse has moved on and welcomed Ozuna back into the fold, not everyone in the fanbase has. There is a public relations consideration to be made when deciding whether to bring back Ozuna, with some supporters certainly upset if the team commits more guaranteed money to a player with a troubled legal history.

There is also an age-related drop to be concerned about. Alex Anthopoulos and the front office have made it a point in many of their contracts not to extend players past their early 30s, as professionals’ skills typically diminish at that point in their aging curves. Ozuna, who is already 33, is only in line for one or two more years. Several designated hitters around the league at similar positions in their aging curves, such as Giancarlo Stanton and Masataka Yoshida, have had sluggish starts this season, adding to the concern.

Should Atlanta re-sign Ozuna?

Not right now, no, for a few reasons.

The first is that Atlanta has club control over the player for the 2025 season, which comes at a $2 million decrease from his current pay. There’s no reason to extend guaranteed money now when you’d be paying at the peak of Ozuna’s value, given his good start.

But ultimately, it feels like a similar deal to what Chris Sale signed with Atlanta will come down the pike sometime between now and the start of free agency: adding an additional year to his current deal and pushing the club option one more season, which gives both the player and the team some cost certainty but also a “safety valve” against significant age-related decline (or another dumb off-field incident).

Bringing Ozuna back would allow the team to continue allowing their regulars to play every day while also maintaining a valuable veteran presence in the locker room, which has tangible performance advantages for the rest of the roster.