It doesn’t seem Braves Country has to wait until the July 31 trade deadline because Marcell Ozuna trade talks have intensified, according to Hector Gomez, who reports the Padres are very interested in landing the Big Bear, with Atlanta set to potentially receive their 18th and 21st prospects, Francis Pena and Ryan Bergert.
SOURCE: Trade talks between #Padres and #Braves have intensified. The #Padres are very interested in landing Marcell Ozuna. According to the source, the #Braves would receive Padres' No. 18 prospect RHP Francis Peña and No. 21 prospect RHP Ryan Bergert.@z101digital
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) July 23, 2025
Ozuna is one of a few obvious trade chips the club has, and with the recent commitment to the Sean Murphy/Drake Baldwin platoon at catcher and DH, the Braves seemingly sealed Ozuna’s fate.
The veteran does have the option to veto any trade because he’s been in the league for 10 years and with the current club for five of them, but it seems like he’d be open to the idea being traded, per David O’Brien of The Athletic.
“That’s my agent and Alex, that’s what they’re working on,” he said when asked about the possibility of vetoing a trade. “I don’t know. ”
The other obstacle to the Padres or any other club acquiring Ozuna is his hip injury. After being the lineup’s most potent hitter for about two seasons, he’s fallen off a cliff. Over his last 60 games, he has only eight home runs and is barely hitting over the Mendoza line, and those numbers are even worse in the last 40 games. However, Ozuna gave a positive update on the hip recently.
“It was my hip earlier this season, but now I feel fantastic,” he said. “I just lost my confidence at the plate. I just lost my timing, and that’s what I’ve been battling. As soon as I get my timing back, everything’s coming like last year and the year before.”
As for what the Braves could get back, Pena is a 24-year-old relief pitcher who currently boasts a 3.89 ERA in Triple-A El Paso, San Diego’s top minor league affiliate. In 2024, Pena had a 2.43 ERA across three levels on the Padres farm. He’s a power arm with some pretty electric stuff, but Pena has struggled with walks this year, which is a new development because he hadn’t really had issues giving up free passes before 2025.
Bergert made his MLB debut this season and has totaled a 2.84 ERA across 10 appearances, six of which were starts, spanning 31.2 innings with the big league club. He’s struck out 30 batters in that span. He’s an intriguing rookie starter who could provide an impact as soon as this year.
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