Slugger Reportedly Open To Trade; Should Brewers Pounce?

There is a huge bat lurking on the market for the Milwaukee Brewers, but would he ultimately agree to a trade?

With the Atlanta Braves floundering, Marcell Ozuna has emerged as the team’s shiniest trade chip, but ESPN’s Buster Olney reminded us about something important on Tuesday.

“A reminder: Marcell Ozuna is in the last year of his deal with the Braves and he is constantly mentioned as a possible trade target -- but what is not mentioned is that he has 10-5 rights and can veto any deal,” Olney wrote. “He controls this process.”

Interesting. So, even if the Brewers are interested in adding Ozuna, the three-time All-Star could still spoil any trade plans. 

But maybe Ozuna would be open to a change of scenery, after all. New York Post’s Jon Heyman indicated on Tuesday, while appearing on MLB Central, that Ozuna would indeed be open to a trade.

“The Braves need to be sellers at this point,” Heyman said. “They are 11 games under (.500). They are something like 10 out of the wild card. They're clearly not a buyer at this point.”

“(Ozuna) does have 10-and-5 veto rights over trades, and I do believe that he would accept a trade at this point, as his role has been diminished. Now, he is hitting .175 since June, but this is a guy who's been a perennial, excellent RBI producer. (He) was their best hitter last year, so I do think they still will be able to get something for him.”

For the Brewers, adding Ozuna would be a low-risk, high-reward situation. Milwaukee doesn’t need Ozuna, and it has a 60-40 record to prove that. Plus, if Ozuna arrived and offered little, the Brewers wouldn’t be tied to him past this season. On the other hand, if Marcell Ozuna regained some semblance of his 2024 self, an already potent Brewers team would become even more dangerous and dynamic offensively.