Marcell Ozuna Reportedly Turned Down $50 Million Deal With Reds to Bet on Himself With Braves

The Atlanta Braves missed out on re-signing cleanup man Josh Donaldson in free agency, but salvaged some power for their 2020 batting order when they scooped up former Cardinal Marcell Ozuna for one year and $18 million. And on Tuesday, MLB insider Jon Heyman reported an interesting wrinkle in the Ozuna sweepstakes.

The outfielder turned down the security of a three-year deal to take a higher average salary and jump right back into the free agent pool in 2021.

This is the kind of decision that oozes with confidence.

Ozuna contributed to Atlanta's demise in the 2019 NLDS, helping the St. Louis Cardinals sink the NL East champions in five games. His .800 OPS and 29 home runs were both the second-best figures of his career, and he's now hoping he can do just what Donaldson did one year before: swing a hot bat for a talented Atlanta team and parlay that success to an even bigger payday a year down the line.

Sharing an outfield with Ronald Acuña Jr. and Nick Markakis is nice work if you can get it, and the Reds' loss is Atlanta's gain. With enough luck, that $50 million figure Cincy threw Ozuna's way will end up looking laughable by the time next winter rolls around.