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Want a veteran player who hits for power? A plug-and-play designated hitter? Meet Marcell Ozuna.
The 35-year-old designated hitter/outfielder remains a considerable power threat from the right side of the plate, blasting 21 home runs in 145 regular-season games in 2025 and averaging 39.5 home runs and 102 RBIs per season for the Atlanta Braves from 2023-24. He provides a creditable power hitter who can do damage in the heart of any MLB lineup.
Here are the top three MLB free agent fits for Ozuna should he depart Atlanta.
Marcell Ozuna is a two-time Silver Slugger. (Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images)
We know the drill in Pittsburgh. The Pirates have an accredited starting rotation, but their offense severely lacks behind that asset. Ozuna would be a boon to an lineup that needs a boost wherever it can get it.
Last season, the Pirates were last in MLB in runs (583), home runs (117) and slugging percentage (.350), 28th in hits (1,244) and tied for 23rd in on-base percentage (.305). Enough said? Ozuna would give the Pirates arguably their most dangerous power hitter and serve as a veteran complement in the middle of the order.
Picking up infielders Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn were savvy moves for Pittsburgh. Plus, one figures that Bryan Reynolds, a two-time All-Star and one of the best outfielders in the sport, bounces back from the worst statistical offensive season of his career since becoming a full-time MLB player in 2019 (he posted a .245/.318/.402 slash line in 2025). Maybe Oneil Cruz finally puts it all together and/or 2024 first-round pick Konnor Griffin reaches and has success at the big-league level? Add Ozuna into the mix, and the Pirates could begin charting a path to competing for a National League wild-card seed.
All that said, Ozuna may prefer to play for a team that’s closer to contending than the Pirates, such as a team within their own division (NL Central).
Marcell Ozuna has 296 home runs across his 13-year MLB career. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
The Reds, who made the playoffs with 83 wins last season, are close to being a shoo-in playoff team. They need more juice at the plate, though, and Ozuna — who still posted a 113 OPS+ in 2025, a down year by his standards — would certainly provide that.
Elly De La Cruz is a budding superstar; Spencer Steer is becoming one of the best first basemen in the sport; Matt McLain, Noelvi Marte and TJ Friedl have had their moments. Concurrently, while Cincinnati’s offense was a respectable bunch in 2025, it was also just 21st in home runs (167) and slugging percentage (.391).
Ozuna would give Cincinnati much-needed oomph in the heart of the order, helping it capitalize on Friedl, Steer and, if they move up the lineup, De La Cruz and McLain creating traffic on the basepaths. Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo and Brady Singer make for a potent starting rotation. Now, the Reds have to complement their roster’s strength with a more balanced offensive attack. Veteran slugging is the answer, and Ozuna, who has a rocketing, power swing, fits the bill.
At the same time, there’s a team that could use Ozuna’s bat and not only be a playoff team but definitively win their division with him in the fold, too.
Marcell Ozuna is a three-time All-Star. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
The Rangers missing the playoffs in each of the last two seasons doesn’t tell the whole story: This is a talented roster that can be a playoff team in any given year and is just two seasons removed from winning the World Series. Ozuna threads the needle for Texas and fits its timeline.
The Rangers’ starting rotation had the best ERA in the sport last season at 3.41, and they recently acquired left-hander and 2025 All-Star MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals. A mere mid-level offensive attack makes Texas a playoff team. On that front, the Rangers were 26th in slugging percentage (.381), tied for 26th in on-base percentage (.302), 24th in hits (1,275), 22nd in runs (684) and 18th in home runs (175) last season.
Trading second baseman Marcus Semien for New York Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo should give Texas more plate discipline and consistent power, but it’s not enough to call it quits this offseason — even if two of Wyatt Langford, Josh Smith, Josh Jung and Evan Carter make a considerable jump in 2026.
After non-tendering outfielder Adolis Garcia and trading a position player-heavy haul to Washington for Gore (2025 first-rounder Gavin Fien, infielder Devin Fitz-Gerald, infielder/outfielder Abimelec Ortiz and outfielder Yeremy Cabrera were among the players sent to the Nationals), the Rangers need all the proven depth they can find for manager Skip Schumaker’s lineup card — even if Ozuna is locked into the designated hitter slot.
As for the American League West, the Seattle Mariners were one win away from the World Series and the Houston Astros are a proven ballclub, but neither team is invincible. Seattle won just 90 games in the 2025 regular season, and Houston hasn’t won 90 games since 2023. Texas has arguably the best starting rotation in the AL, if not all of MLB, and positional upside across the board. Ozuna, who finished in the top-9% of MLB in average exit velocity in 2024, would provide offensive clarity and needed slug for the Rangers, making them that much more likely to be a player in the AL West.
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