Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald is reporting that the Marlins made separate trade offers to the Rangers and Reds involving outfielder Marcell Ozuna. However, no deal was struck as the Marlins wanted starting pitching in return and refused to pull the trigger unless their exact asking price was met. It is not known exactly what the Marlins’ asking price was.
The Marlins have since signed Wei-Yin Chen to a five-year, $80 million contract, but the club believes it can never have too much starting pitching.
Ozuna, 25, hit .259/.308/.383 with 10 home runs and 44 RBI in 494 plate appearances in 2015. He was demoted to Triple-A New Orleans as he hit a meager .638 OPS after an 0-for-3 performance on July 5. Ozuna will be eligible for arbitration for the first time after this upcoming season and can hit free agency after the 2019 season.
