Braves Free Agent Marcell Ozuna Drawing Interest From Multiple Teams

The longtime Atlanta Braves designated hitter has some teams who are looking into his services as Spring Training approaches

Teams are starting to look at the Braves' former designated hitter | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Marcell Ozuna has spent the offseason awaiting his landing spot for the upcoming season. It's safe to say that his time with the Atlanta Braves is over. However, other teams are starting to express interest in his services.

According to MLB insider Mike Rodriguez, three teams have expressed their interest in Ozuana: The San Diego Padres, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to my sources, the Tampa Bay Rays have also joined the list of teams interested in acquiring the services of #MarcellOzuna for next season. Marcell is working hard every day to give 💯 to the team that signs him. #Rays https://t.co/JmvZMd4XCv

— Mike Rodriguez (@mikedeportes) February 3, 2026

Ozuna had been with the Braves since the 2020 season, starting as an outfielder before becoming their full-time designated hitter, once the National League fully adopted it. He was an All-Star in 2024 who finished fourth in MVP voting, but this most recent season delivered a quick blow to his future with the team.

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He struggled with a hip injury for much of the season, and his production suffered. In 145 games, he batted .232 with a .756 OPS with 21 home runs and 68 RBIs. Overall, the numbers are major drop off, but still not bad. It requires looking beyond the overall numbers to get an idea of what did Ozuna in.

In June and July, he batted .181 with a .615 OPS. Apart from a surge in early August, these numbers hovered around there the rest of the way.

He ultimately stuck around after the trade deadline. There was some speculation that he could lift his no-trade clause to be moved. The Braves claim there wasn't the right offer. However, there was one MLB insider that put out on social media that he used his veto rights to stay in Atlanta.

Perhaps there was some thought process that if he had surged like Raisel Iglesias did, he could have stuck around. However, that never happened.

During the Winter Meetings, Walt Weiss indicated that, at the time, bringing Ozuna back hadn't been ruled out. However, Mike Yastremski was brought in to fill the void shortly after. While he's not a full-time DH, he is expected to rotate between there and the outfield along with the other players that share his position.

One era is over in Atlanta, but another era could be starting for the three-time All-Star soon enough. Spring Training starts this month. His decision should be coming soon.