Braves could reunite with 64M World Series champion, Gold Glove winner in potential nightmare move

Hunter Cookston

•
Braves could reunite with 64M World Series champion, Gold Glove winner in potential nightmare move image

Last season was a wash for the Atlanta Braves, and as 2026 slowly creeps into the rearview mirror, the team is hungry to bounce back. The Braves didn’t sell at the deadline like many anticipated, and one name believed to be on the move was Marcell Ozuna, but he ultimately vetoed any potential trade.

“It’s possible that while Anthopoulos was discussing trades, he couldn’t agree on a deal that Ozuna’s agent could also sign off on. Just because Ozuna is leaving the deadline out of his hands doesn’t mean the 10-5 rights go out the window. He could have simply handed over those rights to his agent for the discussions,” SI’s Harrison Smajovits wrote.

Ozuna is now a free agent and was believed to have a solid market. However, with February almost here, his options appear to be very limited.

“The problem Ozuna faces now is that he has only gotten older, his performance last season was subpar at best, and the teams that were previously considered to be landing spots for him feel unlikely to pursue him this offseason especially with how more and more organizations are treating the DH position,” HTHB’s Eric Cole wrote.

The Braves seem mostly finished with their offseason, but if Ozuna continues to linger on the market, they may be faced with a difficult decision on whether to bring him back.

“This sets up the most uncomfortable possibility of all: the best “market” Ozuna has might be the one he already knows — a Braves front office that has seen both versions up close and has to decide whether Ozuna is worth bringing back on. Either way, the quiet isn’t random. It’s the league telling you it has questions. And the Braves can’t afford to ignore what those questions imply,” HTHB’s Tremayne Person wrote.

The scary part about bringing Ozuna back is the possibility that he struggles again and the Braves are left paying for another disappointing season. It would also take away at-bats from Drake Baldwin when Ozuna is not contributing defensively.

However, it could also be a huge boost for Atlanta if Ozuna returns to his power-hitting form. This move would either be a major win or a doomsday decision that ends up being heavily regretted.

More MLB news: