DH or No DH in 2021, Braves Need a Big Bat

Whether or not the DH comes back to the National League in 2021, the Atlanta Braves will need to find another big bat this offseason.

For two straight seasons now the Atlanta Braves have hit the jackpot with one-year deals on big bats in the middle of the order to protect Freddie Freeman.

In 2019 Josh Donaldson was a monster in Atlanta and that earned him a big contract with the Minnesota Twins.

Marcell Ozuna may have been even better offensively and could be looking at a similar contract this offseason.

I know many fans are hoping it’s the Braves who will sign Ozuna, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up.

Of course, we have no idea what the free agent market will look like this offseason and how much money teams will have to spend, but if things are anywhere close to normal I think Ozuna has priced himself out of range for Atlanta.

And then, of course, there is the decision of whether or not the DH will come back to the National League.

It was kind of assumed that would be the case, but perhaps that is not the case.

However, that’s something that needs to be decided on soon so teams can prepare for the offseason.

For instance, if the DH doesn’t come back next year then that really limits the market for Ozuna who is a liability in the outfield at this point.

And it would be really stupid for them not to have the DH in 2021 and then most likely have it negotiated into the next CBA after the 2021 season.

I still feel pretty confident that the DH will be back in 2021; although, I would love for us to get one more year of real baseball before it goes away for good.

All that to say, the Braves need to find a big bat for next season to hit behind Freeman.

If the DH doesn’t come back, then the only spot you can really look to is left field or maybe third base. All other positions are accounted for at this point.

There aren’t a ton of free agents out there that fit that bill. Ozuna would certainly be atop the list with Nelson Cruz as a fallback option (if there is a DH).

George Springer could be another option with Joc Pederson being a fallback for him.

I really love the idea of signing Michael Brantley, but he doesn’t give you the power that Ozuna and Donaldson brought. However, he will rack up hits and put the ball in play, something this lineup desperately needs more of.

We also don’t know what the trade market will present, but finding that big bat should be priority number one for Alex Anthopoulos this offseason.