Marcell Ozuna has been the source of some controversy this season, and that, paired with his disappointing offensive output, could have him on the trade block this winter. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports that while many in the organization would like to hold onto Ozuna given his considerable upside, team owner Jeffrey Loria is “disappointed” in Ozuna and “very much open to trading him” in exchange for pitching help.
Ozuna, still just 24 years old, broke out in 2014 when he hit .269/.317/.455 with 23 homers in 153 games. Ozuna coupled that above-average production with solid play in center field to deliver a season valued at roughly 3.5 wins above replacement, per both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference. Entering the season, he was expected to contribute to what many (myself included) regarded as the best young outfield in all of baseball.
Five months later, Ozuna is hitting .249/.296/.368 with eight homers. He spent more than a month in Triple-A earlier this season after floundering through a prolonged 1-for-36 slump, and upon his return, he likened the time in Triple-A to a jail sentence. Agent Scott Boras accused the Marlins of manipulating Ozuna’s service time, as the length of his demotion perhaps uncoincidentally appears to have been enough to prevent the outfielder from reaching Super Two designation and being eligible for arbitration a fourth time. Beyond that, he drew some criticism from decision-makers within the organization, as some questioned his conditioning early in the year (also via Jackson).
Shortly after the drama surrounding Ozuna’s demotion subsided, I profiled him at length as a trade candidate. Since that examination, Ozuna has looked better at the plate, hitting .258/.290/.494 with four homers in 93 plate appearances. He’s showing signs of another possibly extended slump, though, as he’s collected just one hit in his past 15 trips to the plate.
If Ozuna is indeed dangled in trade offers this winter, plenty of clubs would figure to have interest. He’s unlikely to be arbitration eligible until next offseason and can be controlled through the 2019 season. The Indians reportedly showed interest prior to the non-waiver trade deadline and certainly have the young pitching the Marlins would seek. From a speculative standpoint, the Giants, Padres, Mariners, Reds, Tigers, Angels, A’s and Orioles could all use outfield help in some capacity (though not necessarily in center field in each case). Of course, not all of those organizations are currently rife with young pitching options to send to Miami in return.
Great, had he come to this conclusion after last season he probably could have received a nice return for him. Demoting him and leaving him there to stew probably didn’t add much value to him either. Seems like this is the absolute opposite of how you would want to manage your assets.
The guy was in a 1-36 slump and got demoted. If he doesn’t want to be in AAA then start playing well. In hindsight it does seem as if they should have cashed in on him after the 2014 season but no one saw him crashing this hard.
How many other players went 1-36 and didn’t get demoted? 1 for 36 is a two week slump, not a reason for demotion. Loria mismanaged this. Saying you want to trade him now that he no longer has any value is pretty foolish. Leaving him in AAA for 33 games when he was slumping for a few weeks is even worse. He was trying to save money pure and simple and he managed to devalue his asset in the process.
Of course it was a business decision for Loria to keep him at AAA long enough to miss Super 2 status, just like it’s business decisions driving Boras to keep his own stock of medical personnel to interfere with medical diagnosis that sometimes team medical people come up with and take “his” people to “his” private training grounds, like a little elitist camp he runs and sometimes teams don’t even hear from these players that run off there for weeks at a time, even when under contract. THAT is interference and pulling the mega business move, by playing the “he is not healthy” move and buying time until said player (pick any of his) is a FA.
How anyone, other than a trial lawyer can be a fan of that guy is beyond me. Everything he says contradicts the American way.
So how exactly do you ask for value back on an assest you deemed needed to spend so much time in the minors this year. I’m sure the Cubs will take him for a Matt Sczur or other past Hendry draftees.
Please not the Brewers. Please not the Brewers. Please not the Brewers…
Indians with Carasco being the centerpiece
What? Carlos Carrasco has significantly more value than Ozuna.
The scary part is, you said centrepiece, which implies more than just Carrasco…
With Carasco being the centerpiece more would be going to the Indians.
Guess I should have said centered around?
I think you mean Ozuna would be the centerpiece in the odd notion that the Indians wanted to give Carrasco away for basically nothing.
Guess that’s how it is interpreted.
Ozuna would be a nice piece in such a deal. I expect his valuation by fans to be in both ends of the extreme
It’s hard to argue against a AAA demotion when he was playing absolutely terribly, and mired in a dreadful slump.
Don’t want to go down? Then do your job better.
Anyway, this is a 10 cents on the dollar scenario. He’s playing terribly, and he’s disgruntled – little value.
Ozuna for Beede and Pagan.
I agree , Ozuna and Cespedes to the Giants this Winter, One thru a Trade the other thru Free agency signing.Alsp Greinke signs with Giants and Possibly Price.
Then it’s Good -Bye Dodgers !
I believe you are really reaching there, my friend. Leake and Zimmerman/Kazmir I could see happening. No way they get Greinke and Price. Seriously doubt they drop 150 mil give or take on an outfielder when the offense has been fine this year and the rotation has been a wreck.
Also doubt the Dodgers even let him get to FA. Unless they have their sights on someone like Price
I really believe that there will be another team outbidding the dodgers for greinke. Price I believe will go to the cubs. I think if the dodgers lose Greinke they replace him with Zimmermann or the shark,
Adding all of those players would cost like $550 million and probably $80MM per season.
I don’t see the Giants spending $600mil this offseason.
Not sure why the Marlins would want anything to do with Pagan. He’s not even replacement level.
I can see the Cardinals getting involved if they don’t sign Heyward, which I don’t think they will do. Seems like a guy they would go after, and they have prospects to give up.
Even without Heyward the Cardinals have Holiday, Piscotty, Grichuck, Jay and Bourjos. I think they would be fine or seek a player who offers considerably more upside than their current crop of talent. Why trade away for a guy who might be marginally better than whats on the roster now?
Cardinals will bargain shop for that 4/5 OF. Either FA (after non tenders) or a trade.
Cardinals need an upgrade at first base, not outfield.
can mlb trade or fire loria
Was anyone watching the Mets-Marlins game tonight? I had it on with the sound off and they showed what looked like Jeffrey Loria in the lower seats. I mention this because he was rocking a flip phone which I found hilarious.
I wonder if a Marcell Ozuna for Billy Hamilton trade would work? Each player had a disappointing year and would be a prime bounce back candidate in 2016. I think Ozuna has a bit more value, but Hamilton also has an extra year of control. Just imagine Billy Hamilton and Dee Gordon on the same team. It could be the Whitey Herzog Cardinals all over again.
As reported earier: “You go beyond Kolek, and you get to guys who are not top 200- or 300-type guys,” says BA’s J.J. Cooper. “I have talked to scouts who struggle to name a player or two they project as future regulars from the Marlins’ position-player prospects.”
Maybe if the marlins hadn’t given away all of their young depth in terrible trades, and maybe if they didn’t make ridiculous choices in the early rounds of the last 2 drafts, this would be different. Look at the roster, subtract Dee Gordon and Miguel Rojas, and add Andrew Heaney, Anthony DeSclafani, Enrique Hernandez, and Austin Barnes. Then consider the added years of control with those players, as well as the money the Marlins SHOULD have to spend, with so little payroll committed. This should have been a good year, after a good building year in 2014, and this offseason should have been the time to add to our core with a free agent or 2, but instead, we’re trying to recover from the incredibly dumb moves made in this past year, and we have no depth, which is why injuries played such a big part in our season, and what we can rely on next year (Fernandez durability for the full season, Alvarez coming back from shoulder surgery, and Cosart being a #2-3 SP or a borderline backend of the rotation/better off in the bullpen guy).
Now we have the confirmed reports about Ozuna, which we kind-of already knew, but the wording of Loria being “disappointed in him” is so typical Loria. The Marlins need at least 2 SPs and 3 bullpen arms, including someone that can get lefties out, and another arm that can pitch at the backend of the bullpen, as well as a new manager that doesn’t make moves that make you want to rip your eyes out. I like John Lackey at 2 years, Scott Kazmir at 4 (or maybe a Brett Anderson for 2 years with an option), Oliver Perez at 3, among other options that should be available in our price range (though I don’t see that happening)…So now Ozuna’s being moved for something we just gave away. Personally, if we go this route, and don’t spend a bit of the money we should have available to spend, with so little money committed, we might as well retool and trade Ozuna, Gordon, Prado, Koehler, AJ Ramos, Bryan Morris, Mike Dunn, David Phelps, and Brad Hand and hope to get lucky with some lower tier free agents and health in 2016, and target 2017 and 2018 for contention. The mistakes made in the last year, with bad moves, as well as injuries that impact us beyond this season, as well as a lost year in our minor league system, has left us with a situation with no organizational depth, and in need to once again revamp our system