ATLANTA – Now that he’s locked in the Atlanta Braves, Marcell Ozuna couldn’t resist a good shot with general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
“Alex, I have a question for you,” Ozuma told Anthopoulos as the two attended 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 transaction, with 64 million dollars, with a slugger who just missed the Triple Crown in the National League in the shortened season 2020.
Ozuna’s return ensures that the Braves, who have won three consecutive NL East titles, will remain one of the most important contenders for the championship heading into a new season.
They won the World Series in the absence of the World Series a year ago, losing to eventual champions Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-game NL championship series, after losing a 3-1 advantage.
Now that they have strengthened their rotation with the free agent signatures of Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly, they have made sure that their strong lineup returns largely intact in 2021.
“We have a very good club,” Anthopoulos said. “We have a World Series caliber club. We need things that are right and so on, but everyone on the list thinks we’re capable of winning the World Series.”
The Braves knew they wanted to bring Ozuna back – who led the NL with 18 homers and 56 RBIs and finished third in the .338 batting average – but slowed down after making the move. they quickly signed Morton and Smyly’s one-year offers at the beginning of the free agency.
Just days before the Braves deal ended on Friday, Ozuna expected to play elsewhere in 2021. He had an offer from the Tampa Bay Rays, but held out for something better.
Finally, the Braves jumped into the mix.
It took only one day to reach an agreement.
“We haven’t talked about the contract for a day or two,” Anthopoulos said. “It was done very quickly.”
Ozuna, who never shied away from expressing her opinion, jumped to ask why the deal hadn’t ended sooner. It was all fun, but Anthopoulos said it took some time to resolve salary considerations heading into another season that will surely be affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
“At the start of the off-season, there was a lot of uncertainty in terms of team pay and in terms of industry,” he said. “When the boys get to the free agency, it takes time.”
Th Braves also had to consider whether the designated striker would return to the NL for another season. Ozuna flourished in 2020 while serving mainly as DH. For now, that one-year experiment is off the table after the players rejected the proposal to delay the start of the regular season.
Unless there is a change of course, Ozuna will start for the Braves in the left field, where his defensive limitations will certainly be the center of attention.
Anthopoulos danced around this issue when asked if there were any concerns about Ozuna playing a full-time defensive role.
“We feel like when Marcell is in the left field, he’s solid,” GM said. “He worked hard with all our coaches so that he could continue to be an excellent player from an offensive, defensive and leading base.”
While Ozuna’s defense could be a problem, there is no question about its impact on the crime of the Braves.
Fighting behind Freddie Freeman, Ozuna was a major reason why the first Atlanta baseman won the NL MVP award.
If Ozuna had gone elsewhere, the Brave would have been left with a huge hole to fill. Now, they are returning a line featuring four players who hit double-digit numbers in the 60-game season and scored just one round short of the major league leader Dodgers.
But Ozuna’s impact exceeds his impressive numbers. He quickly became one of the most popular players in the Braves club, adding even more fire to a young and confident team with its various celebrations.
From his “mix it up” mantra to the picture for a road-based selfie after hitting a playoff homer, Ozuna’s flair was evident almost every time.
After initially signing Ozuna to a $ 18 million one-year deal, the Braves were willing to go long-term to keep the 30-year-old in Atlanta.
“We needed that season to feel comfortable when we awarded him this type of contract,” Anthopoulos said. “Where we are as a team, where he is in his career, where we are with our core, it fits very well.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.