ATLANTA – Now trapped in the Atlanta Braves, Marcell Ozuna couldn’t help but give a kind-hearted poke at general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
“Alex, I have a question for you,” Ozuma said to Anthopoulos as the two took part in a Zoom call on Saturday. “Why didn’t you sign me at the end of the season?” ‘
Instead, the Braves waited until a few weeks before the start of spring training to reach a four-year $ 64 million deal with a slugger who just missed the National League’s Triple Crown during the shortened 2020 season.
Ozuna’s return ensures that the Braves, who have won three consecutive NL East titles, remain one of the best champions to enter a new season.
They were one win behind the World Series a year ago and lost to eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-game NL Championship Series after wasting a 3-1 lead.
Now that they’ve bolstered their rotation with Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly’s free purchases, they’ve made sure that their powerful lineup returns largely intact in 2021.
“We have a really good club,” said Anthopoulos. “We have a World Series caliber club. We need things to break well and so on, but everyone on the squad believes we are able to win the World Series.”
The Braves knew they wanted to bring back Ozuna – who led the NL with 18 homers and 56 RBI’s and finished third in batting average at .338 – but they were slow in their move after quickly signing Morton and Smyly to a year. deals at the beginning of free agency.
Just days before the deal with the Braves closed on Friday, Ozuna expected to play elsewhere in 2021. He had a bid from the Tampa Bay Rays, but was holding out for something better.
Finally, the Braves jumped into the mix.
It only took one day to come to an agreement.
“We only talked about a contract a day or two ago,” said Anthopoulos. “It happened very quickly.”
Ozuna, never shy to speak his mind, jumped in to ask why the deal hadn’t been done before. It was all fun, but Anthopoulos said it took a while to sort out the wage considerations on the way to another season that is sure to be affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“At the start of the low season, there was a lot of uncertainty from a payroll perspective of the team and from an industry standpoint,” he said. “When guys get agency for free, it takes time.”
Th Braves also had to consider whether the designated hitter would return to the Netherlands for another season. Ozuna thrived in 2020 while primarily serving as the DH. For now, that one-year experiment is off the table after the players had rejected a proposal to postpone the start of the regular competition.
Unless there is a change of direction, Ozuna will start for the Braves in the left field, where his defensive limitations will certainly be in the spotlight.
Anthopoulos danced around that issue when asked if there were any concerns that Ozuna would play a full-time defensive role.
“We feel that when Marcell is in the left field, he is solid,” said the GM. “He has worked hard with all of our coaches so that he can continue to play offensively, defensively and on the bases.”
While Ozuna’s defense could be a problem, there’s no question about his impact on the Braves’ offense.
Ozuna, behind Freddie Freeman, was a big reason the Atlanta first baseman won the NL MVP award.
Had Ozuna gone elsewhere, the Braves would have left a huge gap to fill. Now, they return with a four-player line-up that achieved double-digit homers in the 60-game season, scoring just one point less than the leading Dodgers in the Major League.
But Ozuna’s impact goes beyond its impressive numbers. He quickly became one of the most popular players at the Braves clubhouse, adding even more fire to a young, confident team with his various parties.
From his “mix it up” mantra to posing for a “selfie” on the base trails after hitting a playoff homer, Ozuna’s flair was evident almost every time.
After initially signing Ozuna to an $ 18 million one-year contract, the Braves were willing to go long-term to keep the 30-year-old in Atlanta.
“We needed that season to feel comfortable giving him this kind of contract,” said Anthopoulos. “Where we are as a team, where he is in his career, where we are with our core, he fits very well.”
This report uses information from The Associated Press.