Report: Ozuna waiting for Cardinals to increase offer
Marcell Ozuna wants to return to the St. Louis Cardinals, but he won't go back for less than he thinks he's worth.
Ozuna, one of the best remaining free agents this winter, is waiting for the Cardinals to up their current offer, a source told Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The team's current offer has not been reported, but Ozuna rejected the Cardinals' one-year, $17.8-million qualifying offer at the beginning of the offseason in order to become a free agent. The Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Atlanta Braves, and Arizona Diamondbacks were all reported to be interested in the 29-year-old outfielder earlier in the offseason.
Ozuna hit .241/.328/.472 with 29 homers and 12 stolen bases over 130 games in 2019. The Cardinals acquired the two-time All-Star following the 2017 season in a blockbuster deal that sent Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen, and Magneuris Sierra to the Miami Marlins. At the time, Ozuna was coming off of his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards, earning down-ballot MVP votes.
Following the signing of Josh Donaldson by the Minnesota Twins, Ozuna and fellow outfielder Nicholas Castellanos are the best hitters remaining on the market.