Braves Urged to Re-Sign, Not Trade $65 Million Pending Free Agent

Atlanta Braves Country continues to received mixed reports and opinions from baseball pundits about what the team could do at the MLB trade deadline.

On Friday, Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicted the Braves not to sell at the MLB trade deadline. Kelly mentioned designated hitter Marcell Ozuna as a potential lone exception. The reason being is Ozuna will be an unrestricted free agent this winter.

But Kelly also proposed something that hasn't widely been suggested yet in Braves Country -- could Atlanta keep Ozuna and simply re-sign the designated hitter?

"Might they be willing to trade Marcell Ozuna—who is 34 and in a contract year—if things don't turn around? Perhaps, and there would definitely be interest in him from DH-needy contenders," Kelly wrote. "But he has a .904 OPS since the start of the 2023 season.

"If anything, you would think the Braves would like to re-sign him after this season."

That possibility has been an afterthought this season in Atlanta. The assumption has simply been, that no matter what, the 2025 season was going to be the last one with the Braves for Ozuna.

There are multiple reasons why that's been the assumption. Ozuna will turn 35 in November. While he's still a great hitter, the Braves might not want to give the designated hitter another long-term deal that pays him top dollar until his late 30s.

Ozuna's last deal was a four-year, $65 million contract. Based on how he's hit the last two years, he deserves a raise and will likely get one in free agency.

But on a four-year, $85 million deal, Ozuna will be paid north of $20 million per season almost until he's 39. And that $85 million is just a guess; he might get a lot more on the open market.

Ozuna was fourth in National League MVP voting last season. This year, he owns an .822 OPS with 11 home runs, 34 RBI and 32 runs.

The Braves could also use the open designated hitter spot that trading Ozuna would give. Manager Brian Snitker has been juggling trying to find at-bats for the team's two catchers -- Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy. That gets easier if they can share behind the plate and designated hitter duties.

As much as re-signing Ozuna could be tough, trading him will be a difficult pill to swallow. The Braves saw the instant impact he can have on a game Friday night against the Colorado Rockies.

Ozuna's three-run homer in the seventh gave the Braves their first lead of the night. Atlanta went on to rout Colorado, 12-4, and the team has now won three of the last four.

The MLB trade deadline is always fascinating to watch. What the Braves do with Ozuna might be the top storyline in Atlanta.