Report: Braves front-runners to sign Ozuna
The Atlanta Braves are favored to sign slugger Marcell Ozuna, reports MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Ozuna, who had a strong 2020 campaign with Atlanta, is the top free-agent position player available.
"Marcell was amazing for us. He was awesome. I'd love to have him back," Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said in October.
The 30-year-old hit .338/.431/.636 and led the National League with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs after inking a one-year deal with Atlanta.
The right-handed power hitter was fantastic against both right-handed and left-handed pitchers and hit well both on the road and at home.
Ozuna's 2020 stats
| SPLIT | PA | HR | RBI | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RHP | 213 | 11 | 37 | 1.002 |
| LHP | 54 | 7 | 19 | 1.330 |
| HOME | 132 | 8 | 23 | 1.106 |
| ROAD | 135 | 10 | 33 | 1.028 |
Ozuna's productive campaign earned him a sixth-place finish in NL MVP voting and his second career Silver Slugger.
The lack of a universal designated hitter for 2021 could be impacting Ozuna's market. With no DH in the NL, the Braves would likely play Ozuna in left field, where he made 19 starts a season ago.
The Tampa Bay Rays have also been connected to Ozuna.