The next four weeks are sure to be a hectic period for the Atlanta Braves.
The month of June was far from kind to the Braves, and entering play on Wednesday, they're 7 1/2 games out of playoff position at 38-46. That doesn't mean the season is over, but they've got to be honest about their chances of playoff contention by the time the Jul. 31 trade deadline rolls around.
If the Braves are virtually eliminated, they'll have no choice but to sell. And if they sell, there's one obvious name who will become one of the prizes of the deadline: designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.
Ozuna is having a slight down year, which might be somewhat attributable to his lingering hip injury, suffered in early April. But a lot of teams would gladly sign up to add a .369 on-base percentage from a veteran slugger, even if his power (.392 slugging percentage) is way down.
On Tuesday, Christopher Kline of FanSided named one potential trade suitor who he thought made a lot of sense as a destination for Ozuna: the revitalized Toronto Blue Jays.
"Ozuna would slot comfortably into the cleanup spot behind (Bo) Bichette and (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) If Anthony Santander can get healthy and relocate his swing, Toronto suddenly has an abundance of pop in the middle of the lineup," Kline wrote.
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"Ozuna is possibly a rental — and he's a 34-year-old who doesn't field, so the value is limited. But as Toronto looks to find ways over the hump in a competitive division, they can certainly do worse than adding a power threat with Ozuna's track record of production, both in the regular season and in October."
The Blue Jays are only one game out of first place in the American League East entering play Wednesday. They're in win-now mode with Bichette headed to free agency, and the best version of Ozuna would be a huge asset.
Would the Blue Jays trust this year's diminished version of Ozuna to rebound, though? That could be the deciding factor in whether or not they go after the three-time All-Star.
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