"Odds were not in their favor to repeat, but that does not mean that whatever happened wasn't disappointing anyway. In 2024, they were 15th in runs scored among all MLB teams amid a raft of injuries. While they had better health in 2025, a changing-ish offensive approach meant they finished 13th. Marcell Ozuna was a key member of the offense in all three of these seasons."
"Way back on January 21, 2020, the Braves signed him to a one-year, $18 million deal. This ended up being one of the best one-year free agent deals in MLB that shortened season, as Ozuna went on to place sixth in MVP voting while leading the league in total bases and a 178 wRC+. Ozuna then signed another deal with the Braves after hanging out as a free agent for a while,"
"The expectations were likely relatively high for Ozuna in 2025, as he had his best offensive campaign in a full season at age 33 in 2024. While there was a little discussion about whether the Braves would pick up his club option, it was pretty hard to turn down a guy who put up 4.7 fWAR as a DH and an xwOBA over .400 in nearly 700 PAs."
The Atlanta Braves' offense regressed from its historic 2023 levels, ranking 15th in runs in 2024 and 13th in 2025 amid injuries and a shifting offensive approach. Marcell Ozuna remained a core bat through those seasons after signing a one-year $18 million deal in January 2020 and later a four-year contract with a club option picked up before 2025. Ozuna posted elite numbers in 2024 (4.7 fWAR, xwOBA over .400, .302/.378/.546, 39 homers) and finished high in MVP voting. Expectations were elevated for 2025, though pre-season projections like ZiPS forecasted notable decline, and risks of regression to earlier poor stretches were real.
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