Alex Anthopoulos might be the best general manager in all of sports, but even the greats have their mistakes. Signing Marcell Ozuna to a four-year, $64 million deal is a black eye that can be seen from miles away; it’s one of the worst deals in sports. Not only is Ozuna a below-replacement-level player, he also comes with a ton of baggage stemming from a domestic violence dispute. I fully expect the Braves to do everything they can to get out from under his contract, but eventually, they will probably just have to eat it and release him; it really is that horrific of a deal.
However, at least we didn’t give up the farm for him like the Cardinals. Before landing in Atlanta, Marcell was traded to the Cardinals from the Marlins two years before his contract was up. He produced decently, accruing 4.6 fWAR over two seasons in St. Louis, but it was certainly nothing to write home about, and it DEFINITELY wasn’t worth what the Cardinals gave up.
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Cardinals receive Marcell Ozuna
Marlins receive Sandy Alcantara, Zach Gallen, Daniel Castano, and Magneuris Sierra
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No, that’s not a typo, the Cardinals really traded away Sandy Alcantara — and what’s crazy is, they’re still competitive, with a really good pitching staff!! Alcantara is the leading candidate for the NL Cy Young, and Zach Gallen is one of the best young pitchers in the game.
Alex Anthopoulos’ deal for Ozuna is abysmal, but to be fair, we were all clamoring for him to get it done. Sometimes, things just don’t work out the way most people expect. However, if my team had given up two potential Cy Young winners for Ozuna, I would have trouble sleeping at night. This is an absolutely horrific trade that really needs to be talked about more for how egregiously bad it was for the Cardinals.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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