The Miami Marlins have a very talented outfielder in Marcell Ozuna, who has been receiving trade offers all offseason and still coming their way. Right now, they’re not quite sure how to move forward, with different people pulling in different directions regarding the 25-year old.
Ozuna has been with the Marlins for three seasons, hitting 36 home runs, batting .265 with a .727 OPS. His defense is excellent most of the time, and new manager Don Mattingly along with Barry Bonds, the team’s new hitting coach, believe they can turn him into a 30/30 kind of guy, urging the front office to hold on to him amid all the rumors about trade offers and calls coming in.
The owner, Jeffrey Loria, hates Ozuna’s agent Scott Boras, with the two feuding after Ozuna was demoted to the minors last season. Some rumors suggest Loria can’t stand Ozuna, and is looking for the right opportunity to offload him, pending the right offer.
One team that’s been talking to the Marlins recently is the Texas Rangers. The Rangers have confirmed there have been discussions, but have ruled out that Chi Chi Gonzalez is a part of those trade talks, which might make it difficult to believe there’s anything serious going on, with everyone, so far, put off by the asking price.
So there’s talent worthy of keeping. There’s a new manager and notable hitting coach who want Ozuna to stay. On the other hand, there’s an owner no one really knows what to expect of him. What does this mean for Ozuna? Hard to say, but nothing, staying or leaving, will surprise us.