Free Agent Hot Stove: Marcell Ozuna
With the hot stove talks heating up in Major League Baseball this off-season, one of the biggest free agent names is outfielder Marcell Ozuna. He is an all-around great hitter, as he has a top tier power bat, and is a high average and high on base guy as well. He would be a valuable asset to any team in the middle of the lineup, but does his yearly decline in defense change his value or the teams that will go after him?
In the shortened 2020 regular season, Ozuna had an incredible year. He racked up 77 hits, had a .338 batting average, and led the league in both home runs and RBIs, with 18 and 56 respectively. He finished sixth in NL MVP voting, but I personally believe that he got snubbed in the voting. I viewed him as a definite top-5 finisher, and a borderline top-3 finisher when the regular season ended, but it is fair to say that he got overshadowed by bigger stars like Betts and Machado. Considering how poor he is defensively, I could see why Marcell finished so low in voting. Regardless, he is still a top-level power bat, and many clubs will be willing to look past his poor defensive play.
I believe the two main teams in the Marcell Ozuna sweepstakes are the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago White Sox. To me, the Braves make the most sense for Ozuna, as he did have a ton of success with Atlanta in 2020, is a fan favorite, and simply may just look to continue to play where he had a hot bat in. Though he has been an incredible hitter all his career, no one expected him to hit like he did last year for the Braves.
The White Sox also make a lot of sense for Marcell, but I view them as second in the sweepstakes. With the departure of designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, it is very possible that they could try to upgrade to Ozuna. This would be a benefit to both sides, as Marcell would not have to play the field and focus on hitting, and the White Sox would get Ozuna for just his bat, without having to deal with his poor defense. Chicago is also a young and fun team on the brink of deep playoff runs for many years to come, and Ozuna could prove to be a great veteran presence for them.
Ozuna is entering his ninth MLB season, and just turned 30 last month. Historically, this is the prime peak years offensively for outfielders. With this being said, I believe he will get a good contract. I think he’ll get around a four year/$75 million dollar contract, with a possible fifth year option. This seems fair, as I doubt he’ll get $20 million plus per year, due to the likelihood that he will become exclusively a designated hitter as soon as the 2021 season. There are also a couple other main teams to look out for in the Ozuna sweepstakes like the New York Mets and Texas Rangers, but I ultimately believe he will look to play it safe and continue his success with the Atlanta Braves.