Outfielder Marcell Ozuna just wrapped up a dream season as a member of the Braves, with whom he slashed .338/.431/.606 and totaled a National League-leading 18 home runs in 267 plate appearances. The Braves couldn’t have expected better than that when they signed Ozuna, a former Marlin and Cardinal, to a one-year, $18MM contract last January. Unfortunately for Atlanta, though, it could lose Ozuna in the coming weeks.
While Ozuna didn’t make out as hoped in free agency an offseason ago, this winter could be a different story. With the offseason looming, Ozuna stands out as one of the absolute best hitters who could become available soon. He also won’t be dealing with a qualifying offer, which helped weigh down his market a year ago. The main issue is whether the universal designated hitter will stick around, as that could impact how many NL teams pursue Ozuna on the open market. While Ozuna has spent his entire career in the NL, the Braves mostly deployed him as a DH in 2020.
Regardless of his defensive questions, Ozuna should have a lot of offense-needy teams after him in the offseason. Along with his bottom-line production, which has consistently been better than average, Ozuna is something of a Statcast favorite.The Braves have said they’d like to re-sign Ozuna, but whether it’s them or another team, how much do you think he’ll earn on his next contract?
(Poll link for app users)
I dont think anyone is going to give him a massive deal after 250 elite at bats in his last 3 seasons.
Good thing you’re not a betting man.
Would look good on Steve Cohens Mets
I think you are.m right. He’s a Met next season.
Ya Cespedas 2.0
4/76ish
If AA said they have an interest in Ozuna, then chances are he is gone for good.
The Braves need pitching anyway. Get Bauer and be done with the cheap mentality!
Omg man lol…how many different emails have you wasted to change your user name sheesh?!
You don’t need to change emails. Just click update profile and change the name.
ahh nice..ok. Good to know lol
He’s got a new username for every day of the week, probably every day of the year.
I went “less than”.
I really think that free agent spending is going to be down this year. Covid losses – just like Covid – are very real.
I know that it’s unpopular but I definitely see why/how owners will need to tighten up on spending.
Exactly. Nobody’s getting 75M this year, except maybe JT, and he’ll have to stretch it over 4 years to get it.
All kidding aside, teams lost REAL money this year, and the bigger the market, the bigger the losses. Those are the teams that usually go heavy in Free Agency, and it ain’t happening this year. Or, with 2021’s uncertainties, likely not happening next year either; the only thing that would change that if the CBA negotiations carry out longer.
I would say more one year deals, maybe higher salaries but much less longer commitment deals then The FA’s are used to. Until the owners feel comfortable their cash cows still can produce milk year after year, this was a totally aberrant year and next year may be too.
I don’t think it’s an unpopular opinion so much that there is a difference of opinion on which tier of free agents will be hurt most badly by the pandemic. The lower-end guys? The elite players? Both parties equally?
My money is on the top-end guys being fine, with everyone below that tier getting hit pretty hard.
Any given off season there’s only a few teams willing to spend. Most are not. It’ll be the same this year. Take Miami for example- they don’t have many fans anyway. So how big of a loss was it really ? If they are trying to turn a corner- bringing back Ozuna is a solid move. If not, there will be other suitors willing to pay market value.
As far as revenue, stock market is up still this year. Fans for the most part are oblivious to how important that is. Every team is vastly dependent on how their portfolio performs. So if their portfolio is performing well- in some cases that’s just as important or more so than attendance.
And the plandemic is real. The ground works for the largest civil suite in the history of the world is on its way lead by a slew of the most renown and accomplished attorneys in the world. That’s why WHO changed their guidelines a couple weeks ago ! There will be fans next year no doubt. U can hide under your sheets and pretend like the boogie man is gonna get ya all you want- it’s your right to do so, but many will show up for outdoor family events like baseball games
I could see him getting 4 years @ 20mil/yr. maybe 25m/yr if the DH sticks in the NL and causes more teams to be in on him and drive the price up.
White Sox are my pick to land him.
i could definitely see that, good fit, but I think the White Sox will go for pitching.
4/60. COVID
No way! 4/88 with a 24mm option(4mm buyout).
He’ll do better than Donaldson per anum. His Gold Glove days are behind him however he still has the glove just not the arm.
Same thought here. I believe he’ll get 4yr/90m, but I don’t think he’ll be a quick sign.
He is really lousy in the outfield. If the NL doesn’t have the DH in 2021, i’d say he’s gone to AL.
He’ll get a 5 year pact that guarantees over 75 mil. What team is the question though.
Freddie will tell the Braves org he will sign a team friendly extension if they bring back ozuna on a multi year deal, this is how championships are won. He WILL be back!
lol convoluted and wrong
That’s what Chipper did.
Because of the circumstances over 75mil. Since it’s not gonna be a normal off-season he’ll get less. He’ll re-sign with the Braves though.
Braves don’t need more pitching. Soroka, Fried, Anderson and others on the way. We need to sign Greene, maybe a long reliever. Kakes is done, inciarte gone, ozuna gone,
So who closes? Greene? A southpaw…? Gasp. Re-signed Melancon?
AA should be a wrangle some SP depth with value. Say it with me: you can never have enough ___________ ( rhymes with kitchen).
Bitchen?!…rhymes with kitchen which is what I’ll be doing once we don’t sign Bauer lol!!!
I bet you said the same thing this past offseason. Braves have nothing coming up. Go external or fail again!
Yall definitely need a pitcher.
As a Braves fan if you think Soroka, Fried and Anderson are enough to win a championship you are kidding yourself. Fried and Anderson had a good year yes, but its only 1…We need a vet to go along with those 3.
If the nl adds the dh in the next two years and that is known when marcell is negotiating then i think he breaks 76 million easily. If not then i think he breaks 76 million but gets a season or two less. A three year deal if dh is off the table will just edge 76 million, its a lot but someone will bite. He might get 5-6 years if an Al teams buys in or the dh is instituted in the NL. I think the interest is marcell is there, i think teams will try for a shorter deal, 2-3 years but i think he gets paid. As noted this has been an unusual year so we might get floored on what he gets offered and it might even be a lot less than what i think.
Don’t think covid is going to hurt the top-tier free agents too much, although it might help to knock off a year or two on some long-term deals. It’ll be the middle and lower-end guys that pay the bulk of the price.
4-5 years, 16mil-20mil/year seems about right to me. You figure some team is going to give that to him.
I could see him signing a deal a 4 yr 68-72 mil deal
He gets 3/65 and that’s it. He is a DH only now. The market will be down, & so will spending. He does better than Nick C did in Cincy but in per year & overall he won’t get 4 years. Teams will be very shy about there money.
Only Ozuna, Bauer, & Realmuto command multiple years. Stroman gets 1 year and I think it’s with Atlanta with thier
Pillow contract format.
Ugh. Please no Stroman.
4 years 88 mil with a team option for to make it 110 mil over 5 years. Thats what I would say pre covid. But we really dont know the effects of lost revenue so a safe bet is probably 4 years at 80 mil.
Here’s the Braves offseason in a nutshell:
1. Pretend to make a competitive offer to Ozuna even though it will be nowhere close
2. Pretend to make a competitive offer to Bauer even though it will be nowhere close
3. Sign Taijuan Walker, 3/$38 mil
4. Sign Yasiel Puig, officially this time, on a one year deal.
5. Sign 1 decent RP. Could be anyone’s guess, there’s a lot of options. I’ll go with Alex Colome as a random shot in the dark but that could be too pricey.
Then they’ll be done!
After they resign Markakis as well of course…
Youre right and add a tyler flowers contract and keeping ender thats it lol
This could be the most true post here.
4 yrs, $70M
Folks believing too much in suppression of salary for stars from current situation.
He will easily clear $90M, likely starting offer will be 5, $100M from at least a few teams. Some team will go 4 years, $100M and his agent will determine if they go fishing for more.
AA is the best. Thanks for a great year Marcell. Best of luck with your new team
5/105 million to the dark horse giants
zaidi won’t spend that much for an everyday DH(assuming universal DH stays)
Players won’t sign longterm deals. They will go 1-2 years and wait for better deals
Teams will be hesitant to offer them in the first place
bryce harper has something to say
4/$85M. Paid $25M – $22M – $20M – $18M, so he’s more tradable later in his deal
that’s not a bad idea actually
2 years 55 mil with a third year player option worth 20 mil is what I’d offer him
4 years 80 mil option year 20, 2 mil buyout
Exactly $75,000,000.00 wasn’t an option
I voted less than $75 mil, not because I don’t think he can command that in a normal market… more so I think contracts are gonna be brutal because of the covid impact to revenue this year and at the moment there is no end in sight
In a normal year over, next year under
I voted less because I think everyone expects things to “Return to normal”. Don’t think that’s going to happen. The world has changed. This whole season has been staged managed and the playoff and world series games look as fake as Pro Wrestling. My cable bill just went up again but there is less to watch. After the World Series they will lose me as a customer. Don’t think I’ll be the only one either. LESS MONEY FOR THE GREEDY CORPORATIONS means even less for the players.
4/80 with two vesting options. Maybe an opt out after 2021.
A 4/76 deal. His 2020 “season” is a bit of a UFO looking at his career. He’s a good to very good hitter, but not elite. He’s entering his 30s, and he’s a really best as a DH, but teams don’t like locking up the DH spot with a hitter lacking defensive versatility. Even the Yankees when they traded for Stanton were figuring he’d play in the OF because he was a solid RFer. Ozuna is not a good OFer, so the team signing him knows up front they are getting a mostly DH. The NL permanently adopting the DH is assumed by many and will help pump his market, but who knows if and when that will happen. Teams won’t bet on an assumption, or more appropriately, they will hedge their bets, cutting into his dollars.
Ozuna had a 113 OPS+ for his career heading into the 2020 60-game season. He was below 110 the two prior years. Teams will pay that he’s better than that but will not pay for his 2020 outlier.
So 4/76. That might open the door for the Braves to step back in.
He’s 29, and, assuming universal DH sticks around, what team wouldn’t want him, especially now that he doesn’t carry a QO
I could see a JD Martinez esk contract….maybe 5/100ish
Betting on 3/60. He is a DH. End of story. Many AL teams have on already or would prefer to stay cheaper with internal options, and unless the DH comes back to the NL, the market will be small.
If the National League DH thing is not decided ASAP, the Braves could do worse than signing Joc Pederson (if available, of course). If the DH happens, then Joc and Duvall can take turns. If the DH does not happen, then Pederson and Duvall can platoon. Joc replaces Ozuna’s power (vs. RH at least) and offers a more potent platoon than another Markakis season. With the DH, Pederson and Duvall combined help the offense out.
– Sign OF J.Pederson
– Trade prospects to Milwaukee for RP J.Hader
– Sign P M.Minor
1. Acuna, RF
2. Albies, 2B
3. Freeman, 1B
4. d’Arnaud, C
5. Pederson, LF/DH
6. Duvall, DH/LF
7. Swanson, SS
8. Riley, 3B
9. Pache, CF
Fried/Soroka/Minor/Anderson/Wright/Wilson