NORTH PORT, Fla. — If he knew then what he knows now, Atlanta Braves cleanup hitter Marcell Ozuna would have answered one of the Cardinals’ biggest questions of spring way, way, way back in mid-November.
In the Braves’ clubhouse early Thursday morning, hours before a game against his former team, Ozuna reiterated his wish to remain with the Cardinals for 2020 – and how in hindsight he would have accepted the one-year, $17.8-million qualifying offer presented him and been the Cardinals’ cleanup hitter. Instead, he’s on a one-year deal with Atlanta, out to thump his way to a larger deal next winter, and the Cardinals are auditioning a cleanup hitter, or four.