Texas Rangers. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves should look to dump Marcell Ozuna and as much of his salary onto these three teams.
Unloading Marcell Ozuna should be a goal for the Atlanta Braves before Opening Day. It does mean eating a large part of his contract, but maybe they can get a little relief and, more importantly, open up a roster spot. Adding in a prospect could be convincing enough for the other team to pay a larger part of the salary.
Ozuna is more of a DH than an actual left fielder at this point. Whilst searching for possible destinations, this is something to keep in mind. Ozuna is someone who can help out now, but also get packaged in a trade with a younger player to help in the future. This should be a goal for some teams when looking at acquiring him from the Braves.
Which teams out there would be the best match for an Ozuna trade? These three stand out.
1. Why the Braves could trade Marcell Ozuna to the Rangers
One of the messiest left field situations in baseball last year was with the Texas Rangers. They haven’t done much to correct it. Focus has been on loading up the starting rotation. Their DH situation isn’t great either. Lefties Brad Miller and Josh H. Smith are lined up to be the DH and left fielder. The Rangers can do better.
Texas can benefit from this deal, assuming Atlanta is paying a large portion of the contract, even if Ozuna is a part-time player. A platoon of Ozuna and Miller sharing DH duties has a lot of potential. The club could use a little more power from the right side to go with Marcus Semien and Adolis Garcia.
Ozuna’s off-the-field issues would be as much of a worry for any team. For the Rangers, at least they have built up some goodwill with the additions they have made this offseason. Strictly from a baseball viewpoint, it’s a move worth making. Give the Braves a little something in return and both teams can be happy.