Mets could sign $65M NL East rival, 3-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner

Hunter Cookston

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Mets could sign $65M NL East rival, 3-time All-Star, 2-time Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner image

Last season, the Atlanta Braves tried their hardest to move several players at the trade deadline. One of those names was DH Marcell Ozuna. Atlanta was reportedly close to trading him, but Ozuna ultimately vetoed multiple deals — three in total.

“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.

Now, Atlanta is expected to enter the upcoming season with a more versatile approach to the DH position — one that will feature several different options.

“Bowman mentions names like Ronald Acuña Jr., Jurickson Profar, Sean Murphy, and even iron-man Matt Olson as players who could benefit getting off their feet and DHing from time to time,” HTHB’s Chase Owens wrote. “Reading the tea leaves it's starting to sound like Anthopoulos and company feel a flexible DH spot is the way to go in 2026. Of course a lot of this is dependent on which players Atlanta adds this winter, but as things stand the DH role looks to be headed in a new, more exciting direction in 2026.”

A potential landing spot for Ozuna could be the New York Mets, who may be in need of a power bat if Pete Alonso departs.

“Ozuna could also help to replace the right-handed presence of Alonso in the middle of the order, if the Mets don't ultimately retain the franchise's all-time home run leader,” Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly wrote.

Adding Ozuna would make sense for the Mets as a short-term option — perhaps on a one- or two-year deal, depending on their preference. In the short term, Ozuna could help fill the void left by Alonso’s departure. Seeing him in blue, however, would certainly take some getting used to.

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