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Ozuna in No Rush to Sign Extension

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  • Ozuna in No Rush to Sign Extension

    ESPN IMG
    Stacy Revere/Getty Images
    Marcell Ozuna had 23 home runs and 85 RBIs last season for the Miami Marlins.
    LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Giancarlo Stanton? Under contract for the next 13 years. Christian Yelich? About to get locked up for the next seven years. But Marcell Ozuna? Uh, not so fast.

    The Miami Marlins might have two-thirds of their dynamic young outfield under control for the rest of the decade. But Ozuna, the third member of this trio, is a Scott Boras client. And Ozuna said Thursday that when he has talked with Boras about the merits of signing an extension, the agent told him: "Don’t hurry."

    A day after news filtered through the Marlins’ clubhouse about Yelich’s pending seven-year, $49.5 million deal, Ozuna was asked how much he and Boras talk about the merits of signing a long-term deal to stick around Miami.

    "We talk a lot," the Marlins’ 24-year-old center fielder said. "But he says, 'Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. Worry about how you hit and play the game. Don’t worry about your career and your money.'"

    Ozuna, who reached the majors in 2013, said he has essentially placed this decision in the hands of Boras, whose younger clients rarely sign long-term contracts that would require them to give away free-agent years on the back end. Ozuna said that if Boras could negotiate "a good deal," he would agree.

    "But if he say no, I can wait," he said.

    Because Ozuna spent nearly a full season in the majors in 2013, he would qualify for arbitration as a Super-2 player next winter. So his earning power is about to rise considerably. He said he’d "heard from a couple of people" that going to arbitration is "good." So he’s more than happy to see where he stands a year from now.

    "Let’s see what happens next year," he said. "I don’t have something in my head about arbitration. Go play the game, and that’s it. If I have a good season and we get a championship, that’s what I want. And see what happens."

    Ozuna, Stanton and Yelich are often talked about as being possibly the best outfield in baseball. According to Baseball-Reference.com, the three combined for 8.1 Wins Above Replacement last season, the highest total by three starting outfielders for any team in the big leagues.

    Yelich turned 23 over the winter, so he will now be under team control through his age-29 season. Stanton is only 25. And his new 13-year, $325 million deal means the Marlins would control his rights through 2028, unless he opts out after 2020.

    "That’s good for them," Ozuna said. "I’m so happy for them."

    Asked if his two outfield mates will now be paying for a lot of his meals, thanks to their newfound earning power, Ozuna laughed.

    "Yeah," he said. "They have to."
    http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/b...52&src=desktop
    Originally posted by Madman81
    Most of the people in the world being dumb is not a requirement for you to be among their ranks.
    Need help? Questions? Concerns? Want to chat? PM me!

  • #2
    Not a big deal.

    26% K rate (huge jump from 2013), could end up as a corner OF in 3-4 years so a buyout would be rolling the dice he can remain in CF.

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    • #3
      I still believe the Marlins will eventually sign (or draft) replacement for Ozuna and he'll be gone before his second arbitration date.

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      • #4
        He gone.

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        • #5

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          • #6
            He's an underrated player around the league and I would like to lock him up, but he is definitely the most replaceable of our three OFs. The Yelich extension makes potentially losing Ozuna much more bearable.

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            • #7
              I feel like he's weirdly underrated among our fan base as well.

              He's a 25-homer center fielder in a league where those basically don't exist. He was 5th in HR among CF and 6th in ISO.

              I think Yelich's skill set might be easier to replace in today's game. If Ozuna can sustain last season -- let alone build on it -- he's easily a cornerstone player. I would love if they locked him up.
              poop

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              • #8
                Yelich’s contract slots in between Simmons and Marte. He receives significantly more guaranteed money than Marte — whose contract with the Pirates was far too generous to the team — but gave up more team control than Simmons. Given the prior deals, Yelich’s contract is not a market-setter for players, nor is it such a good deal for the team that others agents will be shaking their heads. Yelich is a solid player with potential for more growth, but he is not yet a star and depending on how well Marcell Ozuna develops, Yelich could be the third best outfielder on his own team. With Giancarlo Stanton just 25 years old, Ozuna just 24, and Yelich just 23, the Marlins are set up very well in the outfield. Ozuna has shown more power and plays the more important defensive position in center field, but Yelich’s patience and production have exceeded Ozuna thus far despite playing a corner outfield position.
                I agree with this, so I agree with Bobbob as well. But I just don't see how he has a long-term future in Miami going through arbitration 4 times.

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                • #9
                  Ozunas 2015 WAR projection is not good fwiw.

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                  • #10
                    Yelich is simply a more consistent hitter. He's got a better eye for the plate which makes him a more projectable player moving forward.

                    I like Ozuna, and I'd like to see us lock him down too while he's still young (and decently affordable), and he's a better fielder than Yelich, but there's just too much volatility in his swing. I could see him repeating last season, but I could also see him failing to put up a .220 BA for the season. I'm not knocking Ozuna at all, since he's been the biggest surprise the Marlins have had in a long while (he was just another Dominican name four years ago playing in Greensboro, and now he's a cornerstone player).

                    It's just playing the risk game, and Yelich seems like a player who could put up a .760+ OPS at the very least for the rest of his career. Ozuna still remains a little bit of a wild card in my eyes.

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                    • #11
                      I really like Ozuna and I'd flat out love the guy if he just developed as a pure hitter a little bit more. The guy is a tremendous defensive player and has power that would be unmatched if he just played on another team but I do agree with the notion that he's the most replaceable. That being said, I don't think he is replaceable. The guy flat out rakes and is the type of player who I don't see fizzing out, but improving his approach. He always hit for power but has shown tremendous strides from MILB to MLB in his two big league seasons and I imagine that, at his age, those continue to improve. Not to mention, he basically never played CF in the minors and has already proven to be a top flight defensive center fielder in just one full season.

                      I'm worried about him and Fernandez. Boras knows what he has in those two players--guys who would command 9-figures in free agency and so, judging based on Ozuna's comments, are not likely to sign an extension just to be locked up. It's not a done deal that these guys will be moved or simply just sign somewhere else considering what's happened in the last six months, but I'm still not sure this organization will willing to put the $350-400 million necessary to sign these two guys. Best believe, if it comes down to the core five of this organization (which, unfortunately, Hech is part off), Ozuna is the odd man out.

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