It’s mostly of historical interest at this point, but the Reds’ pursuit of Marcell Ozuna was perhaps more spirited than was known at the time. The Cincinnati club offered him a three-year, $50MM contract, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).
Though it is somewhat unusual for a player to turn down a similar annual salary over a longer term for one on a shorter term, that’s just what Ozuna did. He picked the Braves’ offer of one year and $18MM. Whether the Reds also would’ve considered a single-season arrangement isn’t clear.
For Ozuna, this was a calculated gamble — not unlike the one he took when he spurned the Marlins’ interest in an extension way back when. He’s still just 29 years of age and has shown rather an impressive offensive ceiling (143 wRC+ in 2017).
If Ozuna can turn in another campaign along those lines, he might well earn a much larger contract. Even if not, another solid effort could allow him to take down something close to or even in excess of what the Reds would’ve paid him. At the same time, there’s always risk — especially for a corner outfielder who has endured some shoulder problems and sagging numbers of late.
This bit of information is obviously also interesting because of its impact on the rest of the market. The Reds went on to strike a multi-year pact with Nick Castellanos, promising him $64MM over four seasons in a deal that he can opt out of after either of the first two campaigns.
It’s still a bit unclear how the market interplay between these players unfolded, but it was obviously a major factor. Notably, the Castellanos deal is far more desirable from the player’s perspective than that obtained by Ozuna from the Braves. After all, the former’s contract conveys both the upside of a possible return to the open market as well as long-term security. Unless Ozuna had another reason to prefer Atlanta, it stands to reason that his offer from the Reds did not include such generous opt-out opportunities.
Signing Ozuna cost a draft pick, it’s worth noting, since he turned down a qualifying offer from the Cardinals. He’s also no longer eligible to receive one in the future. The Reds might’ve been more comfortable with the structure they gave Castellanos since he did not cost a pick up front and remains eligible to receive a QO if he opts out (thus carrying the possibility of eventual draft compensation to the team).
Imagine paying Ozuna more than Castellanos……
that would be silly
Far from it. Fit team needs better
What?
Yes, the Reds needed an inconsistent, temperamental and declining outfielder.
We will find out just how far he has ‘declined’ very shortly… Make sure you revisit your comment at the end of the season.
He truly is just a shell of the player he was. I’ll take Castellanos rifle arm and improving OF skills over Ozuna’s any day of the week. I most definitely take Nick’s bat over MO’s. Braves fans should be glad he wasn’t signed for longer than this year. St Louis wasn’t being cheap, they were being very, very smart not to make that Fowler mistake again. I’m THRILLED the Reds didn’t sign him!
Unlike castellanos Ozuna plays defense too.
Geez man, watch some players actually play the game once in a while.
whoa Nelly!.. yeah look up “Ozuna outfield” on Ytube, crack open a cold one and sit back for some laughs
Ozuna does have a gold glove to his credit. Don’t let one silly play fool you
to be fair, he matched the QO despite having it attached and having not even had his best season, so he should do better next offseason unless he tanks.
Good point
Whew! That was close. Thank God he turned it down.
i’d rather have Castellanos, good for Cincinnati
Higher WAR, higher ceiling, better defense, less guaranteed dollars. Ozuna.
2 years older, played 21 less games, had a . 044 batting average lower, and slugged .075 less as well
Ozuna’s WAR was 2.2 in 2019 and Castellanos was 2.7.
Ozuna is 1 year older.
Career WAR:
Ozuna 17.5 WAR
Castellanos 7.1 WAR
Ozuna has a shoulder ailment while Castellanos was healthy.
Nevermind a shoulder injury…or hitting .312 & .280 in 2 prior seasons. He actually had a higher OPS than the year prior WITH a shoulder injury.
So, do you believe Ozuna can’t hit (or isn’t healthy) or Castellanos will figure it out defensively to NOTA severely affect his total WAR (or be better offensively where it doesn’t matter as much)? Or maybe CIN is just pushing harder for the NL DH 2021.
The only reason he has a higher WAR is because he just plays defense.
Reds will only have Castellanos for 2020 at 16m. Ozuna making more. No chance Castellanos doesn’t opt out unless he’s injured
I don’t see him getting a better deal if he opts out. I believe the Reds are counting on that as well.
If he does opt out in either year, the Reds can give him a QO and get a draft pick if he signs somewhere else.
Why are you so negative
He’s not negative. This is realistic.
Keep telling yourself that.
Thank you. My 8 year old is a better outfielder and he just sits out there with his glove over his face.
It would have been unprecedented for ATL to offer an opt-out. I do not think they have ever done that, along with offer a NTC (no-trade clause), though, I believe, they have taken on players with NTCs already in their contracts.
AA sure did good here!
Ozuna is betting on himself.. good for the Braves. If he doesn’t perform he is going to wish he had that 2/32 he left on the table lol.
Not really. If he does perform like he did in SL no reason to believe he won’t get those same offers next year. Now if he performs closer to like he did in 2017 he’ll get a lot more.
What a dummy. He should have taken the $50,000,000. But I guess the modern MLB player looks at $50,000,000 as minimum wage now.
GET OFF MY LAWN
Omg let’s take a selfie!!
Not really. No reason to believe he won’t get at least that much next year.
I like the 1 year bet more than a 3 year deal, because after the 3 year deal he’d be in his early 30’s and who’s to say he never gets a deal over 10 million dollars ever again in his career because of his age and maybe decline. This 1 year deal allows him to get maybe a 3-4 year deal going into 2021 with maybe more money if he performs well this year. Smart move Ozuna.
It’s a tough call…
Three years in that park he could tear it up big time and still get a 4-year deal at 32. Look at how JD Martinez got his deal as an example. At the very least if he fails he has $50 million to ‘settle on.’ I mean, he could get hurt and miss half the season…
On the other hand, going into free agency without that tag is huge. Also, if he can pull it together, crush it and stay healthy, he’ll get $100 million.
It should be fun to see what happens.
Bad financial decision but speaks volumes about his performance expectations.
Duly noted.
Seems to me he took the 1 year deal so he would be able to hit free agency next year without a draft pick attached to him
Seems to me he took the 1 year deal so he would be able to hit free agency next year without a draft pick attached to him
Wow. That’s a big gamble. But like 29 posts above, age has to be a consideration for him. Being a bat first free agent at age 32 isn’t fun anymore.
A year from today he will be 31. While I agree with your statement about 31 year old corner outfielders, if he has the ki d of year his peripherals suggest, beating $50 million might not be so crazy. Certainly at the age of 31 he can get 4 years or more if the production is there.
It’s certainly a risk for Ozuna, but one that can payoff soon. If he repeats his 2019 production or better, he can likely surpass the $50 million guarantee on his next deal without the QO attached plus the $18 million he makes in 2020.
It also tells me he priced himself more than what the market was going to offer. For example, if his price was 5/80, then 3/50 seems underwhelming, so it makes sense to take the one year deal.
Also, it’s probably easier to play one year for a proven playoff team. The expectation is the Braves will be just as good next year as they were the past two years. I applaud the Reds for making moves, and do favor them in the division, but all of that is on-paper at the moment.
If Ozuna can’t replicate or at least come close to his 2017 form, then he might have blown his chance at a big-money deal. Some front offices might still believe that the last couple of years haven’t been what Ozuna really is, and might take a chance on him without the QO. If he still underperforms this season, then some of his suitors might dry up because a 3-year stretch is usually enough to prove what a player really is. It’s kind of make or break for Ozuna at this point.
Although he may have a bounceback year, because his performance is regressing I would have taken that deal. I also don’t like him going into free agency up against Betts, Springer, Brantley, and Joc Pederson and a few other OF options.
Trying to time the market almost never works out. As long as baseball revenues keep increasing along with salaries, I don’t have an issue with Ozuna betting on himself without a QO attached. He’s already banked $26M+.
Spot on.
He took some bad advice; there are only so many teams that’ll pay for a player in any given off season and it’s a big deal to be 5/6/7 on that list- it could easily cost you 10’s of millions in a contract.
Also the benefit of playing in a hitters field to help rebound value helps. Outside of Denver, Cincy is about as hitter friendly as it gets.
He’s replacing a big name in Atlanta and they have tons of pressure to win- I don’t see that being a good fit for him…..
The Reds didn’t lose out here. If NC opts out they get the draft pick and the remaining money on the contract to possibly use next offseason…as long as they don’t use it on Ozuna…
$44,000,000.00+ career-to-date: Seems like Ozuna doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t choose to do from here on out.
By itself, that makes the choice he made the right one …regardless of outcome
Great perspective…
Interesting, and a serious risk. I wonder whether he was getting good advice. 3/$50 is not at all bad. The Castelannos deal is actually a $64M pillow. If he’s injured or performs poorly next year, he keeps it. Same in 2021.
Maybe Ozuna can have a big year and find a deal with some club like Donaldson did.
I wonder how much of Ozuna’s contract was deferred ala Castellanos’; perhaps he didn’t want a wad of delayed cash.
This only shows me that the Reds are having to pay a premium to get free agents into joining them. Which is to be expected, only 5 winning seasons in the past 22 years.
Wonder if the opportunity to work with Kevin Seitzer was a consideration.
Glad it didn’t work out…would MUCH rather have Castellanos’ bat AND we will get a draft pick if he opts out instead of giving one up to sign Ozuna. No brainer all the way around.
A year from now, the Reds are gonna thank their lucky stars that Ozuna turned that down and they got NC. Win/Win Situation now for the Reds even if NC opts out.
Reds got a the better player in Castellanos. Ozuna has shown to choke under pressure while on the other hand Castellanos excels. 2017 Ozuna was a power house hitting 312, 37 hr and 124 rbi’s for a team that finished 20 game’s out of first place. He is traded to the Cards, a contender who play meaningful games then Ozuna’s number’s dip. Stanton was the same, hits 59 bombs in 17 and then two seasons combined hits 41 bombs with Yanks. Castellanos was the opposite! hit poorly with a terrible Tigers team, gets traded to a team that is in a pennant race and starts hitting the cover off the baseball.
Ozuna killed Atlanta in the playoff last year
this is all about hitting fourth in ATL foolproof, hitting behind freddie oz and ronald is a money machine. have a big year (120 rbi?) and cash in next year. then in 2021 braves can do it all over again with some other smart player/agent.
oh, and ATL has a short right field, and CIN isn’t always as hitter friendly as everybody thinks. the only risk for ozuna that i see is aces galore in the nl east. will have to hit for power against some good pitchers once in awhile
On-base percentage
Coors Field, .360
Guaranteed Rate Field, .338
SunTrust Park (Braves), .337
lots of homers/runs in CIN but not in top five in hitting or slugging or obp
The interesting part to me is how aggressive the Reds have been over the last season or so in trying to put together a strong team. It’s got to be fun to be a fan there these days.