The Boston Red Sox are two games under .500 entering play on Thursday. However, there are just three games out of a wild card spot in the American League.
The Red Sox should be getting Alex Bregman and Masataka Yoshida back soon. However, their offense still needs some extra power. The Boston Herald's Mac Cerullo suggested they could make a trade with the Atlanta Braves to acquire Marcell Ozuna.
"There probably isn’t any one player the Red Sox could realistically acquire who could fill Devers’ shoes at designated hitter, but Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna would be a great start," wrote Cerullo. "Ozuna is coming off back-to-back 100 RBI seasons in which he hit 39 and 40 home runs respectively, and while he isn’t on that kind of trajectory this year he remains among baseball’s most feared sluggers. His walk rate is also way up and is currently more than twice the MLB average."
Adding Ozuna would make the outfield logjam worse than it already is. Ozuna provides next to nothing defensively anymore and would occupy the DH role. That would insert Yoshida into the everyday outfield mix. However, Cerullo noted that the Red Sox could try trading either Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu.
Ozuna is slashing .242/.370/.389 with 11 home runs. He is a three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger. He is slumping right now, but the Braves' postseason hopes are fading, and a change of scenery could do him well.
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He is playing on a $16 million club option this year after signing a four-year, $65 million deal in 2021. He will be a free agent after the season, and the Braves may be willing to trade him if they have no intention of re-signing him.
More MLB: Phillies-Red Sox trade pitch brings Alex Bregman to Philadelphia