Braves' Marcell Ozuna connected to NL team that lost in World Series recently originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A few teams around Major League Baseball are expected to move on from multiple pieces this winter, which obviously doesn’t help players like Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor someone like Ozuna, teams are likely looking at him as a player who needs to come in and help them get over the top in some sense. If Ozuna were to land with a below-average team, it would likely be a bit of a surprise.
Despite that reality, Jordan Leandre of Just Baseball believes that the Arizona Diamondbacks could be in the mix. While the Diamondbacks aren’t expected to do much during the offseason, outside of moving on from multiple players and losing others in free agency, Leandre still believes Ozuna makes sense for the team.
“A team in need of offense, no matter the position, the D-Backs make a ton of sense for Ozuna as well...
“Right now, FanGraphs projects Adrian Del Castillo as the team’s Opening Day designated hitter. The 26-year-old had a 147 wRC+ in 25 big-league games in 2024 before dropping to an 87 in 2025. His wOBA also dropped from .384 to .295 and his home runs stayed at four despite 19 more games played. Not to say Del Castillo can’t emerge as a potent offensive weapon, but Ozuna raises the floor considerably in 2026,” he wrote.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOzuna seems like a better fit for a contending team that’s looking for a right-handed designated hitter.
However, if the Diamondbacks like what they have, it’s not the craziest idea to suggest that he could end up playing in Arizona.
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