Report: Ozuna rejected multiple 3-4 year offers for Braves' 1-year deal

Marcell Ozuna took his time in free agency, and he ultimately decided to bet on himself by signing a one-year, $18-million contract with the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.

Ozuna didn't have to settle, though. The two-time All-Star turned down multiple longer-term offers that were on the table from other teams, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

All of the multi-year offers were for either three or four years with lower average annual values than Atlanta's deal, Heyman reports.

One of the long-term offers that Ozuna rejected was tabled by the Cincinnati Reds, according to Heyman. Though the specifics of their offer aren't known, the Reds apparently made a "spirited" effort to land the 29-year-old before coming up short.

It's unclear which other teams might have tabled the multi-year offers. The Reds, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, and St. Louis Cardinals were all connected to Ozuna at various points this winter. Two days before he signed with the Braves, it was reported that Ozuna was waiting on the Cardinals - his team for the last two seasons - to increase their offer.

Signing with the Braves allows Ozuna to both re-establish his value as part of a likely playoff team, and re-enter the free-agent market next winter without being encumbered by draft-pick compensation. Ozuna had rejected the Cardinals' $17.8-million qualifying offer in November and is now ineligible to receive one again. The Cardinals, meanwhile, received a compensation pick in this June's draft, while Atlanta forfeited its third-highest selection.

Ozuna is not the first player to take a one-year deal in free agency after rejecting a qualifying offer. All-Star catcher Yasmani Grandal did the same thing last winter, and he eventually parlayed his 2019 contract with the Milwaukee Brewers (worth $18.25 million) into a four-year, $73-million contract with the White Sox two months ago.