ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 18: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Marcell Ozuna will have plenty of suitors in free agency.
The Atlanta Braves might’ve fallen short of a World Series again, but they wouldn’t have been anywhere close to the Fall Classic without the presence of Marcell Ozuna in their lineup. After stealing him away from the St. Louis Cardinals, Ozuna hit .338 with an NL-best 18 home runs and 56 RBIs in a season that will likely help him garner some MVP consideration.
Unfortunately for the Braves, Walker Buehler and the rest of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pitching staff went full William Tecumseh Sherman and burned down Atlanta’s championship hopes by stifling them in games six and seven. Ozuna, scheduled to become a free agent now that Atlanta has been eliminated, might give some much-needed power to one of these three teams on the open market.
These three teams should make a run at Marcell Ozuna
3
Texas Rangers
AL West
The Rangers and Cardinals were considered the favorites for Ozuna before he decided to link up with the Braves, and Texas might decide to make another run at him this offseason. While Fernando Tatis Jr.’s massive home run ended up breaking the team mentally and kicking off a spiral towards the bottom of the AL West, this team has plenty of pieces worth building around in their lineup. Adding Ozuna to give them some more pop in their spacious ballpark could help the Rangers make their mark in a wide-open division.
An outfield that features both Ozuna and Joey Gallo would certainly test the limits of Globe Life Field during the 2021 season. While the Rangers have the financial flexibility they need to potentially take on a hefty Ozuna contract, a veteran player that came so close to a championship might be less inclined to take Texas’ money. However, considering how wide open the AL West is in 2021 and beyond, Ozuna could be the piece that takes them over the top.