It's the question every Atlanta Braves fan wants to know the answer to: What will it take for the front office to wave the white flag on this season?
We know the Braves are seven games under .500 and eight games out of the playoff picture. We know ace Chris Sale is on the shelf indefinitely, though he should be back at some point this season.
But we also know president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos really doesn't want to sell. This was supposed to be a playoff team for the eighth year in a row; instead, it's looking like a lost season.
If anyone gets traded away, though, designated hitter Marcell Ozuna seems the most likely to go. He's in a contract year, he's been a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger, and a lot of teams would likely value his veteran bat in a postseason push.
On Monday, Zachary Rotman of FanSided registered a prediction: Ozuna will not remain in Atlanta beyond the Jul. 31 trade deadline.
"(The Braves') recent poor play makes it fairly clear that Marcell Ozuna's days with the organization are numbered," Rotman wrote.
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"The postseason feels entirely too unrealistic for the Braves to be anything but trade deadline sellers. I'm not here to say the Braves should tear things down, but trading a veteran on an expiring contract who they likely won't bring back for next season anyway, like Ozuna, feels like a no-brainer."
Ozuna, 34, is playing through a hip injury and has only a .770 OPS, compared to over .900 in each of the two previous seasons. But his walk rate is higher than ever and he's still a top-10 DH in terms of both bWAR and fWAR.
To some degree, Ozuna being traded may depend on what sorts of offers are out there. But if the Braves are far enough back of a Wild Card spot (say, 10 games), then getting back even a mid-level prospect might be seen as a win.
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