Braves Trade Rumors: Latest report on Marcell Ozuna

Things continue to go from bad to worse for the Braves. Not only did they lose their fourth straight game last night, but they also lost another starting pitcher, as Grant Holmes left the game early and was placed on the IL with elbow discomfort.

The Braves are now down all five members of their starting rotation from Opening Day, and the free fall down the standings may only just be beginning.

In the coming days, Atlanta is expected to ship off a number of players in trades. One of them being Marcell Ozuna, who recently lost his job as the team’s DH. However, the Big Bear does have 10-and-5 rights, allowing him to veto any trade if he desires.

That’s a potential hurdle Alex Anthopoulos and company will have to clear, but according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports, Ozuna will waive his no trade clause for any team that is looking to give him an opportunity to play every day.

“Atlanta DH Marcell Ozuna, who has 10-and-5 rights and can veto any trade, is now expected to approve any deal if the team guarantees him everyday playing time. He recently lost his starting job with Atlanta.”

From the Braves perspective, I’m not quite sure if this is a good thing or something that could possibly hold up a trade in the coming days. With the way Marcell Ozuna has played since the beginning of June, how many teams are going to guarantee him a starting role as they aim to make a push for October?

Ozuna is hitting .159 with a .514 OPS over his last 40 games. He’s also dealing with a tear in his hip that is clearly affecting his performance. There are probably some clubs that would be willing to take a gamble on his upside, given how good he’s been over the last several years. But I don’t know how any club could guarantee him an everyday role with the way he’s been hitting over the last couple of months.