The Atlanta Braves are interested in White Sox ace Dylan Cease, among other controllable starting pitchers. The only problem is that they lack many assets of their own to send back to Chicago. If the Braves are willing to get creative, perhaps they could deal from an area of strength -- their lineup.
While including him in a Cease trade doesn't make much sense for the White Sox, dealing Marcell Ozuna in general to fill out this Atlanta roster isn't a bad idea. As MLB.com's Mark Bowman points out, it is Anthopoulos trade season, which means fans should expect the unexpected.
"At different points over the past couple years, the Braves tried to swap Ozuna for the likes of Patrick Corbin or Madison Bumgarner, a pair of left-handed pitchers with negative value. Now, instead of swapping bad contracts, they actually could trade Ozuna to help gain something in return," Bowman wrote.
MLB Rumors: Why would the Braves trade Marcell Ozuna now?
Ozuna slashed .274/.346/.558 in 2023 to go along with 40 home runs. The veteran designated hitters is one of the streakiest hitters in baseball, and he was on fire last season. While trading any player with that much power would form a dent in the lineup, the Braves also know Ozuna more than most. The is a player whose time in Atlanta has been littered with off-field concerns, including domestic violence and DUI arrests. He also struggled for most of the previous two seasons before turning things around in 2023.
Trading Ozuna now, while he value is highest, does make some sense, especially if he can net some starting pitching or bullpen help in return. Travis d'Arnaud, who is a capable bat and splits the catching duties with Sean Murphy, would likely replace Ozuna at DH. Vaughn Grissom is another candidate, as the Braves would love to get his bat in the lineup.
A trade of Ozuna feels unlikely, but as he enters the potential final year of his contract (he has a club option), anything is possible.
