MLB Trade Rumors: Marcell Ozuna Could Be the Next Player on the Miami Marlins' Trading Block
Ozuna is arbitration-eligible for 2018 and 2019
The Miami Marlins are currently in the process of trying to secure a trade that would send newly-minted National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton to a different team. But even after the team completes that deal, it may not be done making moves.
In a recent article, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro hinted that the ongoing Stanton negotiations may be impacting another current Marlins player, with that being outfielder Marcell Ozuna. Frisaro noted that while the Marlins have yet to shop Ozuna to other teams, things could change once Stanton has been dealt.
If the Marlins do indeed decide to go down that route, they may find numerous suitors very quickly.
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Ozuna made the All-Star team both in 2016 and this past season, blasting 60 homeruns over the course of those two campaigns, as seen in Baseball-Reference. His on-base and slugging percentages went up significantly this past year as well, hinting that he may be going up another level now that he has entered his prime.
Ozuna's contract situation may also help his trade value. He is arbitration-eligible for the next two seasons, which means that although his salary is likely to go up, a team that trades for him this offseason will not be at risk of losing him until at least the winter of 2019. That also implies that a team that acquires Ozuna now would be able to benefit from his prime production.
Earlier this offseason, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Oakland Athletics "have interest" in acquiring Ozuna. If the Marlins do decide to make him available, the Athletics will likely not be the only team interested in the outfielder.
Stanton's name is still the big one in the trade market currently and deservedly so, but sometime soon, Ozuna could be the outfielder that teams around the league will be trying to acquire.
More news about the latest MLB trade rumors should be made available in the near future.
