Former Braves All-Star Could be Great Option to Help Rangers Offensively

The Texas Rangers are starting to heat up at the right time with the team now comfortably over the .500 mark.

With the trade deadline just a few days away, the current state of the Rangers should be to buy and try to improve the team.

Texas had had to deal with injuries and a lot of ineffective performances from their offense for much of the season. The Rangers have been led mostly by their starting rotation, with Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom both having excellent years.

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While the rotation has done much of the heavy lifting, this is a team that still has a lot of its talent from the World Series campaign on the roster.

With the American League being wide open and the Houston Astros dealing with injuries, Texas could certainly make a run at the division still. However, to do so, improving the offense will be a must.

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna being a good buy-low option for the Rangers at the trade deadline.

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“While most of the top contenders have a DH situation pretty well set in stone, unlikely to even call Atlanta about an Ozuna trade, there are two teams near the wild card cut line who could use him: San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers.”

It has been a shockingly poor season for the Braves, who were considered to be a playoff contender in the National League to start 2025. Atlanta got off to a slow start and has never been able to recover.

With the team struggling, they will likely be moving some of their veterans on expiring deals to try and recoup some talent.

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One player who will likely be available is Ozuna, and he could make a lot of sense for a team like the Rangers that is hungry for offense. The designated hitter spot was supposed to be taken care of when the team signed Joc Pederson in the offseason. However, the left-handed slugger has been injured and has struggled when healthy.

Pederson returned to the lineup on Sunday. With Ozuna being a right-handed hitter and Pederson a left-handed hitter, they could work in a platoon situation based on matchups.

So far this campaign, Ozuna has slashed .232/.358/.384 with 13 home runs and 42 RBI. While those numbers might not be as good as in years past, the former All-Star would be a significant upgrade compared to what the Rangers have received offensively from the DH spot.

With him being on an expiring deal, a trade to acquire the veteran slugger likely wouldn’t cost Texas too many assets. Since the bullpen is also a need, buying low on a player like Ozuna makes a lot of sense.

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