The Atlanta Braves have gone out and tried to fill a gap in their lineup with the loss of Josh Donaldson, who signed with the Minnesota Twins. The Braves have reportedly agreed to a one-year contract with outfielder Marcell Ozuna, slated to be worth $18 million with no options. In the wake of the 2020 Baseball Hall of Fame Class being announced, ESPN’s Jeff Passan was quick to break the news of the signing.
Outfielder Marcell Ozuna and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on one-year, $18 million contract, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 21, 2020
Ozuna was a former member of the Miami Marlins outfield that had Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton before that was dismantled. After his time with the Marlins, he spent the past two seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, who seemed to shy away from interest in signing him. In 2019, Ozuna played in 130 games, totaling 485 at-bats with a .241/.328/.472 with 29 home runs and 89 RBI for the Cardinals. Ozuna was one of the few coveted outfielders this offseason, and his signing leaves Nicholas Castellanos as the big-name outfielder remaining on the market.
With this one-year contract, Ozuna has no options and no incentives and will test out the open market again next offseason. Ozuna will not have a qualifying offer next season, and if he can keep production up, Ozuna will be due for a raise. Originally it was rumored that Ozuna was targeting a long-term contract, but instead, he receives a one-year deal with the Braves who are looking to stay competitive.
