Latest news with #Ozuna
Newsweek
15 minutes ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Braves Cutting Ties With Marcell Ozuna? Rangers, Padres Reportedly Teams to Watch
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Atlanta Braves aren't just in the middle of a disappointing season in which they've become trade deadline sellers. They also don't have much to sell. Shipping Rafael Montero to the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday was something, but compared to the other teams whose playoff odds have disappeared, the Braves have very few chips to move. Two other names to monitor are designated hitter Marcell Ozuna and closer Raisel Iglesias. Both players were huge parts of the Braves' success last season, and if we'd known before Opening Day that either would be available at the trade deadline, we'd have been shocked. SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 08: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a double in the top of the second inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on July 08, 2025... SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 08: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves reacts after hitting a double in the top of the second inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on July 08, 2025 in Sacramento, California. MoreBut stocks are down on both players, and the Braves just have to take whatever they can get as they head toward free agency. Perhaps, though, a couple teams' dire needs will lead to a bit of a market for Ozuna. On Thursday, ESPN's David Schoenfield noted that the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers both have such negligible production from the DH position that they might get involved in the Ozuna sweepstakes. "Ozuna's trade value is diminished since he's strictly a DH and has struggled for two months after posting a .426 OBP and .883 OPS through the end of May. Since then, he has hit .176 with a .600 OPS and has lost some of his DH at-bats to rookie catcher Drake Baldwin," wrote Schoenfield. "But there's no reason for the Braves to keep him, and the Rangers and Padres happen to have the worst DH production in the majors and could take a chance on an Ozuna hot streak. He did indeed homer Monday and Tuesday, so maybe one is coming." Ozuna, a 34-year-old three-time All-Star, owns a .759 OPS/114 OPS+ on the season. Most teams don't want even a slightly above-average hitter clogging up their DH spot, but the Rangers and Padres, both of whom have a legitimate shot at a wild-card spot, might be desperate enough. More MLB: Yankees' Ryan McMahon Has Five-Word Message After First Bronx Walk-Off
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Where can the Reds find a bat at the trade deadline? Their roster flexibility could help
CINCINNATI — Just as the Cincinnati Reds' front office is trying to get creative by searching for starting pitching to help its bullpen, the search for a right-handed bat isn't limited to the outfield. The Reds could take a look at just about any position to add some offense and then use their positional flexibility to fit a bat into the lineup, partly in a response to the way the roster was constructed and also because there aren't too many natural fits on the trade market. Advertisement Though some deals have been finished around Major League Baseball, the trade market has yet to heat up leading into Thursday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. The Reds' needs are obvious: a boost to the offense, especially against left-handed pitching, and bullpen help. The scarcity of goods to fill demand could drag the real movement until the final hours. Players will be moved, but the difference-makers seem to be few and far between, driving up demand. Here's a look at some of the players the Reds could look to add to their lineup with their ranking on the latest version of The Athletic's MLB trade deadline Big Board. The Reds have used 10 players in the designated hitter spot through 107 games. Ozuna, 34, has played just two games in the field over the last three seasons. He finished fourth in National League MVP voting last season, hitting 39 home runs with 104 RBIs. A free agent after the season, Ozuna was hitting just .233/.361/.393 with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs in 96 games entering Tuesday. Ozuna has 289 home runs in his 13 seasons in the big leagues and was a player the Reds had interest in before he signed with the Atlanta Braves ahead of the 2020 season. The Reds signed Nick Castellanos instead. Ozuna has full no-trade rights as a veteran with at least 10 years of service time and at least the last five with the same team. Great American Ball Park would be a nice place for him to build his value heading into free agency, but any trade would still have to get his OK. Ozuna also served a 20-game suspension in 2021 after his arrest on domestic violence charges, which were later dropped after he entered a diversion program. The 31-year-old has another year of team control. Ward is on a one-year deal worth $7.83 million and is arbitration-eligible for the final time this offseason. Entering Tuesday's game, he's hitting .232/.308/.491 with 25 home runs. He has a career .284/.353/.467 slash line against left-handers, and he is hitting .267/.337/.587 against lefties this season. Advertisement The 31-year-old is on a one-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles with a $6.5 million club option for 2026. Laureano was hitting .279/.341/.526 with 15 home runs before Tuesday's games. Laureano has a .918 OPS against right-handers this season and a .771 OPS against lefties. A two-time All-Star, García went from one of the most feared hitters in the game to just a guy over the last two seasons. He hit 39 home runs in 2023 and has 39 home runs going into Tuesday's game in 2024 and 2025 combined. García is in the second year of a two-year, $14 million deal and is arbitration-eligible for the final time next year. García also has reverse splits this season, with a .517 OPS against lefties and .716 against right-handers. He's a free agent after the season, and the White Sox might actually trade him before the deadline after holding on to the 2023 All-Star. This offseason, the White Sox asked for a return that would indicate he was the 2023 version of Robert, who hit 38 home runs, instead of the 14-homer outfielder he was last season. This year, the story has been similar for Robert, who is hitting just .205/.292/.348 with 11 home runs entering Tuesday. He does have a career-high 26 stolen bases and is still a good defender in center field. The White Sox have a $20 million option on Robert for 2026, and according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox will exercise that option if they don't trade him and gamble that sum that he will do what he hasn't the last two years — hit. Kwan doesn't exactly fit what the Reds are looking for, but he can hit. Kwan, 27, is an excellent defender in left field and is hitting .287/.351/.411 with nine home runs this season, and he has two years of arbitration remaining. Because of all those factors, he would command a higher price tag, and the Cleveland Guardians' biggest incentive to move him is whether there's a deal too good to pass by. A free agent after the season, the 30-year-old Mullins was signed to a one-year deal worth $8.73 million this season. His numbers have dipped this year, and he put up just a .221/.301/.420 line heading into Tuesday's game. But he does have 15 home runs — more than any Reds player, save Elly De La Cruz. Mullins, though, has hit lefties this season (.289/.392/.458). Advertisement The most telling thing about the pursuit of Suárez is that all three teams he's played with before he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks — the Detroit Tigers, Reds and Seattle Mariners — have been connected with him. The Reds could have him play third base every day and move Noelvi Marte to the outfield. That said, he's the most popular girl at the dance, and though Suárez would likely welcome a return to Cincinnati, he's not in control of where he goes. The Reds could certainly be outbid for Suárez, who is in the final year of the contract he signed with the Reds before the 2018 season. O'Hearn is a left-handed-hitting first baseman, two things the Reds aren't exactly looking for. But he is an upgrade to the offense, entering Tuesday with a .284/.375/.452 slash line and 12 home runs. O'Hearn, 32, has been much better against right-handed pitchers, with a .869 OPS against right-handers and a .630 OPS against lefties before Tuesday's game. In his 10 games between his All-Star appearance, he's hit just .267/.303/.400. (Top photo of Terry Francona: Jeff Dean / Getty Images)
Reuters
a day ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Royals power past Braves; Ronald Acuna Jr. (Achilles) exits
July 30 - Kyle Isbel's three-run double highlighted a five-run sixth inning while Vinnie Pasquantino homered, doubled and singled as the Kansas City Royals won 9-6 over the visiting Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night. Jonathan India had a two-run double and Bobby Witt Jr. recorded two RBI singles as the Royals evened the three-game set with their sixth win in nine games. Austin Riley and Marcell Ozuna homered for the Braves, who removed Ronald Acuna Jr. in the sixth inning after he struggled to corral Pasquantino's double. The team described the ailment as Achilles tightness. Fresh off signing a two-year, $46 million contract extension to stay in Kansas City, Seth Lugo (8-5) held the Braves off the scoreboard for five innings. He wound up allowing seven hits, three runs and four walks over 5 2/3 innings while registering five strikeouts. Ozuna, subject of consistent trade rumors, added an RBI single in the seventh for the Braves, who have lost eight of 10. Recently acquired Erick Fedde (4-11) made his first start for the Braves and gave up four runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He walked two and fanned three. Fedde retired the first two batters he faced before Pasquantino sent the ball just inside the right field foul pole for a 1-0 Kansas City lead. In the second, India hit the left field fence on a ball that drifted away from Atlanta's Jurickson Profar to drive in two. Witt followed with a run-scoring hit. Lugo was cruising until two outs in the sixth, when Riley took him deep over the center-field wall. After Michael Harris II singled, Ozuna clubbed his second homer of the series to make it 4-3. Lugo then loaded the bases, but Hunter Harvey entered and got Profar on a lineout to center. The Royals, on the other hand, didn't waste their bases-loaded opportunity in the bottom of the sixth. Isbel cleared the bags with a hit off Enyel De Los Santos that Profar appeared to take the wrong angle on. The ball reached the left field wall for a 7-4 Kansas City edge. Isbel scored on another hit from Witt, who stole second and scored on Pasquantino's ground-rule double. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Trade proposal has the Astros linked to Braves' $65 million All-Star
The MLB trade deadline is coming down to its last two days for the 2025 season, and the Houston Astros have emerged as a team that's buying. Houston is looking to add some offense to their team, as it will be getting multiple pitchers back from injury before the start of the postseason. There have been many players linked to the Astros, including a third baseman to help fill the gap that Isaac Paredes left after going down with a hamstring strain, and Yordan Alvarez, who is still rehabbing a fractured right hand. The Atlanta Braves' designated hitter, Marcell Ozuna, has emerged as a possible trade candidate for the Astros, according to Matt Young of the Houston Chronicle. "It's easy to point to Ozuna as a possibility for the Astros, because of general manager Dana Brown's connection to Atlanta. He was the Braves' vice president of scouting when Atlanta signed Ozuna as a free agent in 2020... At the plate, he's the kind of hitter the Astros prefer. Although he's right-handed, he's extremely patient with a 16.2% walk percentage that is among the tops in baseball," Young mentioned. The three-time All-Star has emerged as a trade candidate when he started to struggle at the plate before he lost his designated hitter spot to the Braves' Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin. At 34 years old, Ozuna has a .233 batting average, .361 on-base percentage, and a .754 OPS while hitting 14 home runs and 67 RBI in 96 games this season. If Marcell Ozuna is traded to the Astros, he would be used as a rental player. His four-year, $65 million deal expires at the end of the season.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Braves Predicted to Cut Ties with 3-Time All-Star Via Trade to Red-Hot Rangers
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A disastrous season for the Atlanta Braves can hardly be salvaged at the trade deadline, but there are still moves to be made. Atlanta, at 44-60 entering Monday, has no shot at the playoffs in a year they were hoping would bring a potential World Series run. All it can do at this point is trade the veterans who are scheduled to hit free agency this winter and hope the return helps it down the road. That leaves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, a three-time All-Star who has had a down year to this point, as the biggest name to watch on the Braves roster between now and Thursday. CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 31: A detail of the Texas Rangers logo on a hat in the dugout prior to a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31, 2025... CINCINNATI, OHIO - MARCH 31: A detail of the Texas Rangers logo on a hat in the dugout prior to a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 31, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. MoreBecause he's aging, dealing with an injury, and limited to DH duties, Ozuna probably won't have many teams interested in him. But one baseball writer has identified a surging American League Wild Card contender as the best option. On Sunday, Sportsnaut's Matt Johnson predicted that Ozuna would be shipped to the Texas Rangers, who have won eight of nine games since the All-Star break to climb within a half-game of playoff position. "We have Texas moving Adolis Garcia in our MLB trade deadline predictions, but this team can be both a buyer and a seller," wrote Johnson. "Marcell Ozuna would fill the void in the Rangers' lineup, with the team rolling the dice on a change of scenery helping the designated hitter turn things around. It's a low-risk move with minimal cost, allowing Texas to remain in the Wild Card mix after flipping Garcia for prospects." From Atlanta's perspective, any team having interest in Ozuna would be a win. The 34-year-old has a .743 OPS, largely due to his decreased power as a result of a hip injury, and the remainder of his $16 million salary won't be cheap for a team to absorb. If Texas makes the call, Atlanta should eagerly pick up. More MLB: Dodgers Predicted To Bring Top AL Central Fireballer To Los Angeles
