Why do pundits think the Braves can trade Marcell Ozuna?

The Braves are in a precarious position where it might make the most sense to sell at the trade deadline.

But even if they go in that direction, what the hell do they have to sell? Chris Sale? Yeah, and make the 2026 rotation even thinner? Good idea! Sean Murphy? An in-season trade of that magnitude is unrealistic for Alex Anthopoulos. Some bullpen pieces? Get real, nobody wants Raisel Iglesias. Another name that keeps coming up is Marcell Ozuna, and it’s not just Braves fans; it’s well-respected national pundits that are peddling this notion.

• Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel had him as the 11th-ranked trade deadline target. 
• Jim Bowden cooked up a hypothetical between Atlanta and Texas in which Ozuna helps an inconsistent Rangers offense.
• David Schoenfield most recently wrote that the Braves should trade Ozuna away. 

It’s quite unbelievable, honestly. I would be shocked if there’s virtually any market for the Big Bear. Since it was revealed that Ozuna was dealing with a tear in his hip on June 2, the Braves’ DH is batting .168 with only one single home run and four doubles in 26 games. That’s good for a .483 OPS.

But let’s go back even further. In that report from David O’Brien, the Braves beat writer noted Ozuna skipped the club’s series in Toronto in mid-April to get an MRI on his hip, and the numbers have been worse than some might realize because 26 games isn’t exactly a large sample size.

Coming into that series, Ozuna was batting over .300 with an OPS north of 1.000. Since then, the Big Bear’s OPS is hardly above .700; he’s got a .231 batting average and only eight home runs in 66 games.

That’s a large enough sample size to realize the hip tear is hindering Marcell Ozuna’s play. Now, it seems quite obvious the Braves should give him a rest and DH whichever of Sean Murphy or Drake Baldwin isn’t catching that day. Secondly, why in the hell would anyone trade for that guy? The answer is they wouldn’t.

The Braves could trade Chris Sale, but that would leave a gaping hole in the 2026 rotation. The Braves could trade Sean Murphy, but I think that’s something to do in the offseason (if they do it at all). The Braves could trade one of their more productive relievers, but what kind of return can they really get?

I seriously doubt the Braves can trade Marcell Ozuna because I just don’t see there being a strong enough market.