The Atlanta Braves dealt with a plethora of injuries in 2024 and responded by loading up on outfielders.
Because of that, the Braves may end up having to make some tough decisions to make this winter. Atlanta had a plethora of players who could play in the outfield. The Braves currently have Ronald Acuña Jr., Michael Harris II, Ramón Laureano, Jorge Soler, and Jarred Kelenic under contract or hitting arbitration.
The Braves have other players who will be hitting free agency and likely won’t be back like Adam Duvall. Atlanta even has slugger Marcell Ozuna on a club option for the 2025 campaign, and he could get in the outfield if the club needed, but he was a designated hitter in 2024.
Atlanta won’t be able to bring everyone back, and there has been speculation that the Braves could pick up Ozuna’s $16 million option and look to trade him. While this is the case, FanSided’s John Buhler proposed the team should consider trading Kelenic instead.
“One possible solution would be to trade star designated hitter Marcell Ozuna for high-end prospects or some much-needed help at other positions,” Buhler said. “However, I am very much against that, as he has been one of the best hitters in baseball over the last two years. Plus, he is on a very manageable team-option contract for 2025. As soon as that offer was extended to him, Ozuna wasn’t going to be dealt…
“Kelenic had one good month at the plate but ended up being what he always was when he was with the Seattle Mariners or in the New York Mets organization: The idea of a really good baseball player. The talent is there, but he gets lost in his head more than Dr. John Dorian in Scrubs. I would consider trading him, as he is in the final year of his contract.”
Ozuna is entering the final year of a four-year, $65 million deal that also features the club option for 2025, making it a five-year pact in total. He will be much more expensive than Kelenic, who is projected to make just over $2 million.
There are pros and cons for both moves. Ozuna has been a much better hitter, but he is 33 years old now. Kelenic is just 25 years old and could be a piece to build around if he could show more offensively.
Atlanta has tough decisions to make, and how the club handles Ozuna’s club option will be telling.
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