At 40-52, the 2025 Atlanta Braves season is more or less unsalvageable as we approach the All-Star break. It’s becoming clear that General Manager Alex Anthopoulos will look to sell at the deadline, with the team’s chances of making the playoffs sitting at 3.8% on Fangraphs. On Thursday, he said publicly that the Braves will not look to move players under control beyond the 2025 season, indicating that we will not see a full-scale rebuild in Atlanta this year. That ruled out potential trade pieces like Sean Murphy and Grant Holmes, but it also reaffirmed the likelihood of longtime Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna being flipped in the coming weeks.
Marcell Ozuna Likely to be Traded Before the Deadline
It’s a sad scenario for Braves country after Ozuna was the team’s steadiest hitter over the last two seasons. “The Big Bear” has had a tumultuous five-year run in Atlanta, but has been an anchor in the lineup for the better part of his tenure. From 2023 to 2024, he hit 79 home runs with 204 RBI, culminating in a fourth-place MVP finish a year ago. His stats have declined across the board this year, however, as the designated hitter is slashing .236/.363/.385 with just 12 home runs.
Ozuna’s expiring contract and age are what make a trade appear inevitable in a lost season. The 34-year-old will be looking for a last multi-year contract in the offseason, and the Braves were unlikely to be the top bidders for his services. Rather than let him walk for nothing, the prudent move is to recoup some value while they still can. Additionally, moving on from the DH-only Ozuna frees up that spot for other hitters moving forward in 2026, like Drake Baldwin.
Selling Low
The problem for the Braves is that Ozuna’s value hasn’t been this low since early 2023, when he was one of the league’s worst hitters. The Dominican has had some elite seasons recently, but all of the optics look bad at the moment. Ozuna offers zero defensive value, forcing an acquiring team to get creative with their lineup to fit him in. He’s also squarely in his mid-30s and having his worst season in years.
Making matters worse are the consistent reports of a hip injury that Ozuna has been playing through for nearly all of this season. The ailment is a small tear in his plant side, and it’s clearly impacting his ability to swing the bat properly. It seems to be getting worse as the season goes on, as Ozuna has been especially brutal recently. Since June 1st, he’s batting .172 with a wRC+ of 52. Despite all this, manager Brian Snitker refuses to give him time off to rest–Ozuna has played in 88 of the Braves’ 92 miserable games this year.
Potential Suitors
This may not be the same Big Bear as years past, but the Braves will surely find a team that could use his bat for a playoff push. Ozuna holds full 10-and-5 rights by virtue of his ten years of MLB service time and five with Atlanta, which allows him to block any trade. With his no-trade list unknown, his next destination could be any one of a number of teams.
Marcell Ozuna – Atlanta Braves (12) pic.twitter.com/qvzy0giPEc
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 10, 2025
The San Diego Padres have frequently surfaced as a trade destination for Ozuna, and for good reason. The Friars have a collective .567 OPS from DHs this year, the second-lowest in MLB, ahead of only the Texas Rangers. The Seattle Mariners are also likely to be in the market for a power bat, and with plenty of DH flexibility, it’s easy to imagine Ozuna sliding into their lineup as they look to chase down the Houston Astros in the AL West. One dark horse candidate for Ozuna is his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals. If they decide to buy at the deadline, the familiar face could provide some of the power and on-base ability that the Redbirds lack.
Main Photo Credit: © Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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