Braves Trade Rumors: What’s the plan with Ozzie Albies?
Unless something changes drastically in the final days leading up to the trade deadline, the Braves’ plan appears to be pretty clear. Atlanta is going to ship off their spare parts, like Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, and perhaps even Pierce Johnson. However, the core pieces of the club don’t seem to be headed anywhere, at […] The post Braves Trade Rumors: What’s the plan with Ozzie Albies? appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
Unless something changes drastically in the final days leading up to the trade deadline, the Braves’ plan appears to be pretty clear.
Atlanta is going to ship off their spare parts, like Marcell Ozuna, Raisel Iglesias, and perhaps even Pierce Johnson. However, the core pieces of the club don’t seem to be headed anywhere, at least not at this year’s trade deadline.
The Braves want to see if some of their underperforming stars can bounce back over the second half of the season, and then they will re-evaluate their situation during the offseason. At that time, they will start listening to offers on some of their core pieces, one of which is Ozzie Albies.
The Braves second baseman has had a tough go of it this season. Albies is hitting just .221 with nine homers and a .622 OPS. There have to be legitimate concerns about his future with the organization, especially with a team option for next season worth $7 million.
The option comes with a $4 million buyout, so given the Braves would only be saving $3 million by not picking it up, it seems like a foregone conclusion they’ll at least exercise that option. However, what happens after that is yet to be determined, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports.
“Even with Atlanta All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies’ struggles this year, Atlanta plans to pick up his $7 million option this winter and will at least listen to trade offers for him. Albies also has a $7 million club option in 2027.”
The market for an average defensive second baseman coming off such a poor offensive season is not likely to be robust. However, on such a palatable deal, there will undoubtedly be team’s willing to gamble on the upside of a three-time All-Star that will be just 29-years-old next season.
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Photo: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire
The post Braves Trade Rumors: What’s the plan with Ozzie Albies? appeared first on SportsTalkATL.com.
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