Padres Named Best Landing Spot for 40-Homer All-Star Slugger at Trade Deadline

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter predicts the Atlanta Braves will make a huge deadline move and ship out designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, and listed the San Diego Padres as the best landing spot for the 34-year-old.

Opening Day designated hitter Gavin Sheets began filling in for Jason Heyward in left field after the veteran landed on the injured list, and has taken over the position almost full time after Heyward's release. Sheets' presence in the field is an issue for the Padres, who have thrown Trenton Brooks in at DH to replace Sheets. Brooks has played 14 games at DH since Heyward's release on June 24, and has a .379 OPS through 30 plate appearances in that time.

Ozuna is a premier power hitter in MLB, and would add a constant power threat to the heart of the Friars' lineup. Ozuna hit a career-high 40 homers in 2023, and followed that up with a 39-homer season in 2024. He hasn't been quite as threatening this season, hitting just 13 homers with a .762 OPS at the halfway point, though the Padres are desperate for an upgrade.

The Braves are fourth in the NL East and well out of the playoff race, as they're 10 games under .500, leading many to believe they'll unload older players on bigger contracts such as Ozuna. He is in the final year of his five-year, $80 million contract this season, so the Padres could likely give up less to bring in the Dominican.

The Padres definitely need help on offense, as their 7-2 win on Friday marked just the third time through the first 13 games this month in which they had scored five or more runs. They will need to maintain this form if they are to remain in the NL Wild Card conversation, and Ozuna would help them do just that.

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