Atlanta Braves

Ozuna, Iglesias remain with Braves after quiet trade deadline

Alex Anthopoulos explained why the two impending free agents remained Braves.
Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20) reacts after striking out to end the ninth inning of a baseball game at Truist Park, Saturday, July 19, 2025, in Atlanta. New York Yankees won 12-9 over Atlanta Braves. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna (20) reacts after striking out to end the ninth inning of a baseball game at Truist Park, Saturday, July 19, 2025, in Atlanta. New York Yankees won 12-9 over Atlanta Braves. (Hyosub Shin / AJC)
20 hours ago

CINCINNATI — Marcell Ozuna sat at his locker two hours before Thursday’s MLB trade deadline watching the television. About 10 minutes later, closer Raisel Iglesias entered the clubhouse and almost immediately yelled something (in a smiling manner) to his teammate from across the room.

Around the corner, reliever Pierce Johnson casually chatted with infielder Luke Williams, while left-hander Aaron Bummer later walked in fresh from his on-field workout.

Nothing felt out of the ordinary in the clubhouse, as the clock ticked toward the 6 p.m. deadline. And the casualty foreshadowed the Braves’ upcoming moves — or lack thereof.

The club did not make a single acquisition on Thursday, meaning Ozuna, Iglesias, Johnson and Bummer — all potential trade pieces for the Braves to sell off during a lost season — remained with the team.

“Our goal in this deadline was to focus on guys that can help us in (2026) and beyond,” president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos said on a Zoom call after the deadline. “It just didn’t materialize.”

Ozuna and Iglesias were the more likely candidates to find themselves with new teams, but the Braves did not receive an offer compelling enough to part with either impending free agent.

Here is what Anthopoulos had to say about the two Braves:

Marcell Ozuna

Trading Ozuna would have been trickier than dealing most other players because of his 10-and-5 rights. He possesses at least 10 years of service time and spent each of the last five seasons with the same team, meaning Ozuna could have vetoed any trade.

But according to Anthopoulos, the club never presented him with an offer.

“No,” Anthopoulos said when asked if Ozuna turned down a trade. “We did not approach him with anything.”

Trading Ozuna would have made sense for the Braves, since the club is expected to use Sean Murphy and Drake Baldwin — whoever is not catching — as its designated hitter in 2026. But it is also understandable if the 34-year-old received a lack of interest.

He is playing through a hip injury, previously faced legal trouble and is only batting .233 with 15 home runs this season. Plus, despite winning a Gold Glove in 2017, Ozuna is solely a designated hitter.

But there is an argument for the Braves trading Ozuna, despite the return. Almost any set of players would help the club more than Ozuna, who is expected to depart in free agency, would in 2026.

However, Anthopoulos said the Braves needed to have intent behind each potential trade.

“We weren’t just going to give players away, move guys just to move them or just to dump salary,” Anthopoulos said. “We were not in that position. That’s not something we were going to do. If we were going to move any players, we were going to have to get something back that we liked.”

Raisel Iglesias

Anthopoulos echoed the same sentiment about Iglesias — that the Braves would not trade him without a strong return — but shut down the idea that teams were disinterested in acquiring the 35-year-old.

Still, with a trade deadline that saw relievers flying off the board — the three top-100 prospects dealt all returned relievers — it is fair to question what Iglesias’ market truly involved.

“I didn’t say that,” Anthopoulos said when asked about the idea that teams were not interested in acquiring Iglesias because of his performance (4.85 ERA in 45 relief appearances) this season. “What I did say is this — not being specific about (Iglesias) but generally speaking — when it comes to trades, if we thought there was a trade where we were getting some value back that we liked, we would have made a trade. That didn’t present itself.”

Part of Anthopoulos’ response is likely damage control — meaning he does not want to speak poorly of a player still on the team — but the lack of a deal also emphasizes the Braves’ desire to attempt to finish the season strong.

Although their playoff odds are all but vanished, the club still sees value in putting a good product on the field for its final 55 games.

“Gutting the roster and just dumping players and giving them away,” Anthopoulos said. “We have fans that bought tickets, that are showing up. I think fans understand if you’re getting players you believe are making the team better and so on, but if you’re just going to take players off the roster and fill them with, arguably, players that aren’t as productive and impact the product, and you’re asking other guys to go play every day and grind and push — I think the message that would send organizationally is just wrong.”

And in the club’s mind, keeping Ozuna and Iglesias gives them the strongest chance to do so.

About the Author

Olivia Sayer joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in May 2025 as an intern on the sports beat. She is earning a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia with a minor in sport management and a sports media certificate. Olivia previously held the titles of digital and assistant sports editor at The Red & Black.

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