The next month will decide everything for the 2025 Atlanta Braves, and designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is a central figure in the drama.
The Braves have dug themselves a hole in the standings. Entering play on Tuesday, they were 7 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with a hugely disappointing 31-39 record, and they've got their first matchup of the year with the first-place New York Mets on deck.
Ozuna, meanwhile, is in the final year of his contract, making $16 million and getting on base at a .388 clip. His power is down and he's dealing with a lingering hip injury, but he's still a bat a lot of contending teams would love to add to their lineup if the Braves sell.
One baseball writer believes Ozuna could be flipped at the trade deadline in a one-for-one swap that would net the Braves a three-time Gold Glover.
On Monday, Newsweek's Andrew Wright proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Ozuna to the first-place Chicago Cubs and net the Braves outfielder Ian Happ, who would be pushed out of Atlanta's lineup anyway if Ozuna arrived.
"Happ is the worst of the three Cubs outfielders and moving off him would allow current DH Seiya Suzuki to move back to the outfield and open up the spot for Ozuna to slide into the lineup," Wright wrote.
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"The possible addition of Ozuna to the Cubs lineup would give them the second right-handed power bat to help counter some of the dominant left-handed arms on playoff-caliber teams such as Jesus Luzardo of the Philadelphia Philles or Robbie Ray of the San Francisco Giants."
Happ, 30, is on a three-year, $61 million contract that runs through 2026. So he'd be a source of stability in left field for the Braves, a major Achilles' heel for the past two seasons, not only for this season, but next year as well.
The Cubs love Happ, who is a veteran leader in their clubhouse. That might diminish the odds of this sort of deal happening, but if Chicago really wanted Ozuna, it's hard to see how both would fit in the lineup.
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