Early Slump Making Braves' Decision to Part Ways with All-Star Look Good

It’s early in the year, but the Atlanta Braves aren’t stressing that they moved on from their long-time designated hitter, Marcell Ozuna. They aren’t necessarily missing that big bat in the lineup. Even if they chose to retain him, he wouldn’t be providing the production you’d expect from him.

Ozun has struggled early, to put it lightly. In 31 plate appearances, he’s 2-for-27 (.074) with four walks, while also striking out eight times. He’s been sat down on strikes more times than he’s reached base this season.

His production has been poor enough that he already has a -0.5 WAR and an OPS+ of -18. It was clear before the end of last season that moving on from Ozuna may be best for the team. However, seeing him struggle to this extent is still a surprise.

Back in February, Ozuna signed a one-year contract with a mutual option for the 2027 season. The first year of the contract will pay Ozuna $10.5 mllion in 2026. The option is worth $16 million, but it has a $1.5 million buyout, guaranteeing Ozuna at least $12 million.

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.

He struggled with a hip injury for much of the season, and his production suffered. After he dealt with the nagging ailment, it makes sense why a deal would be pending a physical.

In 145 games, he batted .232 with a .756 OPS, 21 home runs and 68 RBIs. Overall, the numbers are a major drop-off, but still not bad. It requires looking beyond the overall numbers to get an idea of what did him 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 who put out on social media that he used his veto rights to stay in Atlanta.

During the Winter Meetings, manager 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.

Other bats are doing the job to help fill the gap as well, including veteran bat Dominic Smith.