Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20 singles during the ninth inning] against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on April 12. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Atlanta Braves Former MVP Candidate Named as Trade Candidate if Team Continues to Struggle

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated Apr 22, 2025 9:53 AM ET

After starting 0-7 on the season, the Atlanta Braves have rebounded nicely, winning nine of their last 15.

At 9-13 overall, they are still in fourth place in the National League East, but they do have some momentum on their side.

However, should they falter once again, Marcell Ozuna would make for an interesting trade candidate, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

He's in the final year of a five-year deal and the Braves already have a lot of future commitments on the books, so there's no guarantee he'll re-sign with Atlanta, especially since his production warrants a bigger salary than the $16 million he's making this year. Ozuna was one of the best hitters in baseball last year and is off to an even better start in 2025...

(E+) Early MLB 2025 trade deadline preview: Player most likely to be traded for all 30 teams

From major league stars like Sandy Alcantara to up-and-coming prospects, here's who could be on the trade block come July.https://t.co/a8Wbvp9PP0
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 22, 2025

Ozuna, 34, is in the 13th year of his career with the Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals and Braves. A lifetime .273 hitter, he's hitting .305 this season with four homers and nine RBIs. A three-time All-Star, Ozuna has 279 career homers and 889 RBIs. He led the National League in home runs (18) and RBIs (56) during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He finished fourth in the National League MVP voting a season ago.

He's also had an excellent career resurgence over the last few years. He hit just .213 in 2021 and .226 in 2022, but has seen his average increase each year since then.

He won a Gold Glove earlier in his career with the Marlins (2017) but has played designated hitter exclusively over the last two seasons.

The Braves will be back in action on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Cardinals at Truist Park.

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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