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The Atlanta Braves are running out of “ifs” and “buts.” Luck has not turned, injury misfortune continues to decimate the pitching staff, Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies are regressing beyond comprehension and veteran closer Raisel Iglesias had a rough start to the campaign. The cracks started to form in Truist Park last season, but this renowned organization survived and sneaked into the playoffs. This year, the Braves Way has not been nearly enough.
I am perfectly aware of the issues that have befallen the team. Underachieving stars are far from the only reason why Brian Snitker's squad is 41-52 and 10 games out of a National League Wild Card slot. Flamethrower Spencer Strider and 2025 All-Star Ronald Acuna Jr. did not return until late May (Strider logged on start in April before hitting the injured list). Reynaldo Lopez has not pitched since March 28 due to shoulder surgery, and now Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach are sidelined for an extended amount of time.
And do not forget about Jurickson Profar's 80-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. Atlanta has not had access to its full powers at any point this season. That may not change, at least not until late in the campaign. Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos cannot just wish and hope his way through the MLB trade deadline. While this is one of the few organizations that has the intangibles and savvy to overcome overwhelming adversity, a resurgence is difficult to fathom.
Atlanta has too many holes. We are in July now, and therefore, Anthopoulos must be practical when evaluating the roster. The best thing he can do in 2025 is probably build for 2026 and beyond. The Braves have a couple of attractive and movable assets they can potentially use to replenish the farm system. Marcell Ozuna ought to be on the top of the list.
Several teams could use a big bat for the playoff push
Some analysts and fans have proposed the idea of shipping out 2023 MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. and obtaining a mammoth prospect package in return. I personally think that is a bit extreme, though, considering he is only 27 years old and under club control for a few more seasons. The more prudent approach may be to retain Acuna for now and attempt to restock their talent supply by trading other players.
Ozuna will not command anything close to the haul the right fielder would net, but he still carries value. Potential title contenders should covet another established masher to help them navigate the elevated pitching we frequently see in the postseason.
Despite playing through a hip injury and enduring an awful June-July stretch, the three-time All-Star could still inspire optimism. If he can display the impressive brand of power that has allowed him to hit almost 300 home runs to this stage of his career, executives will come a-calling before July 31 arrives.
Ozuna's overall body of work in 2025 still looks adequate amid his brutal run, but it could wipe out any leverage that Anthopoulos may have had going into the deadline. He is batting .236 with 12 homers, 41 RBIs and a .748 OPS. The hip issue could explain the meager 23 extra-base hits, something the Braves and other teams will surely monitor in the next few weeks. However, it only takes one surge to ease league-wide concerns.
Even if Marcell Ozuna does not recapture his Silver Slugger-form, Atlanta might as well get something for him before he enters free agency. Alex Anthopoulos needs to put his talent evaluation skills to great use and try to unearth a hidden gem.
Braves cannot lie to themselves
Atlanta never truly reached its top form in 2024, but it stayed in the playoff hunt throughout the year and ultimately finished with 89 wins. Fans were just grateful to see their battered Braves fight and provide a couple more days' worth of high-stakes baseball. No rational individual viewed their brief NLWCS appearance as anything other than a bonus. The mentality was simple. “We learn from this adversity and regroup in 2025.”
A healthier and more dangerous club was supposed to emerge, but injury issues have festered and the formerly fierce lineup has remained unsteady. The Braves began the campaign with an 0-7 road trip, falling to the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. Everything that made mentally-fatigued locals throw up their hands and say “what can you do” is still true this season. Only this time, there are no traces of optimism.
In July alone, Atlanta has lost a series to the Los Angeles Angels and Athletics and were swept by the Baltimore Orioles at home. Those are the teams this group must defeat if it is going to sniff October. The glaring roster deficiencies are taking their toll, and those troubles are only compounded by the aforementioned underachieving players.
While Marcell Ozuna should also be included in that crop of underperformers, he still has a 111 OPS+. Despite being at less than full health and posting considerably lower power numbers, the Dominican Republic native is still a net-positive, per the advanced metrics. If he can heal up a little during the All-Star break, Ozuna could showcase enough pop to spark a bidding war before the trade deadline.
The time is quickly approaching for Alex Anthopoulos to admit that a playoff berth is simply unrealistic. If and when he does wave the white flag, it should correspond with the end of Ozuna's five-and-a-half season tenure in the ATL. But a min-demolition project can yield new, welcome beginnings.
A rare season as sellers could pay off in the long run for Atlanta
Following a stretch in which the Braves reached the playoffs in six straight years and won the NL East five times, it is hard to comprehend this sad set of circumstances. Anthopoulos will pinch himself and come to grips with this harsh reality, however. The 2021 World Series champion has been in this business since 2000 — going through players' fan mail for the then-Montreal Expos — so he knows when hard decisions have to be made.
Dealing Ozuna is actually an easy one, though. Instead of potentially letting the right-handed hitter leave the franchise for nothing in the winter, the practical course of action is to seek value in exchange. Although it rarely works out, Atlanta does have the option to scoop him back up in free agency if it is dead set on a reunion. The man will be 35 years old by the start of the 2026 season, however.
A multi-year contract does not sound ideal, so retaining Ozuna could just be delaying the inevitable, anyway. The Braves diligently assembled a squad that could sustain excellence, but it is important to spot the expiration date. They cannot just make the most out of sour milk. It is time to go back to the grocery store.
A complete overhaul is obviously not necessary. When healthy, this is still an exceptionally promising team. Ronald Acuna Jr. is destroying the baseball since coming off the injured list, Matt Olson is quietly having a fantastic 2025, Drake Baldwin is a strong Rookie of the Year contender and Spencer Strider is gradually reverting to his old self. Initiating a rebuild would be beyond negligent with this amount of firepower in the clubhouse.
But so too would staying inactive at the MLB trade deadline. Moving on from Marcell Ozuna is the bare minimum that Alex Anthopoulos must do before month's end. As a dreary campaign congeals, the front office owes it to the fans and themselves to ensure that this does not happen again in the future. Maybe, just maybe a deviation from the norm can give way to restoration of the “Braves Way.”
