Blue Jays expressing interest in Marcell Ozuna

According to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, the Toronto Blue Jays are one of the teams expressing interest in Marlins outfielder Marcell Ozuna.

There are a number of teams vying for the services of Marcell Ozuna including the Rockies, Rangers, Cardinals, Giants, and Nationals along with the Jays. The 27-year old is fresh off a .312/.376/.548 season with 37 round trippers in 2017.

Ozuna is still under team control until 2020 but will undoubtedly earn a significant raise over the $3.5 million dollar price tag attached to him last season. MLB Trade Rumors projects Ozuna to earn $10.9 million through the arbitration process which is why the Marlins are looking to unload the top talent.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported yesterday that the Marlins are advising prospective teams that Ozuna will be easier to acquire than that of Christian Yelich who is also coveted by many teams. Yelich is relatively cheap and under team control until 2022 so it is understandable the Marlins want to keep him in the fold as they attempt to rebuild in Miami.

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Ozuna would be a huge outfield upgrade for the Blue Jays as they continue to search for a right fielder to replace Jose Bautista. The 5-year veteran is a career .277/.329/.457 hitter with 96 round trippers and a 13.7 WAR in 653 games. The Dominican Republic native has spent major league time at all three outfield positions including 410 games in centrefield.

The Jays will have to part with a decent prospect package to lure Ozuna away from the other suitors who are also in pursuit. The Jays have the likes of Conner Greene, Sean Reid-Foley, Rowdy Tellez, Reese McGuire, Teoscar Hernandez and Dalton Pompey to dangle as trade bait in a potential deal for Ozuna.

Next: Blue Jays: Chris Archer garnerning interest from teams

The Blue Jays have been quiet thus far at the winter meetings but we will keep our ear to the ground and continue to gauge the Jays interest level as this story continues to develop.