The Atlanta Braves have gotten off to quite a slow start this season, and it doesn’t seem like they’re in a spot to quickly turn it around.
Injuries and early-season struggles have plagued the Braves. They’re 12-15 through 27 games and aren’t trending in the right direction following an injury to Spencer Strider.
What will the Braves do if they don’t turn this slow start around?
ESPN’s David Schoenfield recently made the bold prediction that the Braves could look to trade slugger Marcell Ozuna if they don’t quickly turn around their slow start. Ozuna finished in the top five of National League MVP voting last season.
“It would be shocking not to see the Braves recover from this slow start, but if they don’t, Ozuna would be a fascinating player to consider,” Schoenfield wrote. “He’s in the final year of a five-year deal and the Braves already have a lot of future commitments on the books, so there’s no guarantee he’ll re-sign with Atlanta, especially since his production warrants a bigger salary than the $16 million he’s making this year.”
If this had been said before the season, nobody would have believed it. Ozuna was a key piece of the Braves’ success last season, and he’s likely going to be a key piece of the puzzle if the Braves figure it out this year.
But Atlanta could also land a huge haul if it looks to trade him this season. It seems unlikely the Braves will look to re-sign him after his contract runs out this season, so a trade would make sense if they’re under .500 when the trade deadline comes around.
More MLB: Giants’ $182 Million Free Agency Signing Called ‘Biggest Bust Of First Month’
The post MLB Insider Proposes ‘Fascinating’ Trade Candidate For Slow-Starting Braves appeared first on Newsweek.
