Jeffery Loria open to trading Marcell Ozuna this winter

Marcell Ozuna's 2015 season has been surrounded by controversy. He's also had a down offensive year, which could mean that Ozuna may find himself on the trade block this winter, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. In that report, Jackson cites an associate of Marlins owner Jeffery Loria, who said that he is very disappointed with Ozuna's play and would be open to moving him this winter.

It was just last season that Ozuna broke out as an offensive threat, hitting .269/.317/.455 with 23 homers in 153 games. His offensive outburst, plus his solid defense in center-field was worth around 3.5 wins according to Baseball Reference. Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton formed a young outfield that had Marlins fans buzzing.

Then came 2015, where Ozuna has hit .249/.297/.368 with eight home runs in 107 games. His poor play led to a demotion to Triple-A, which the 24-year-old compared to a jail sentence upon his return to the big leagues.

If the Marlins do end up talking about Ozuna with other teams, Loria is seeking young starting pitching in return. They have Jose Fernandez to lead their staff, with unproven youngsters like Jose Urena, Adam Conley and Justin Nicolino getting some big-league seasoning now. Pitching is always a hot commodity, and having a surplus is important over the course of a 162-game season.

There would obviously be a number of teams interested in the young outfielder. Just looking at teams that made moves at the deadline, the Giants, Orioles and Angels all made moves for veteran outfielders and could need to re-tool this winter.

The Tigers moved Yoenis Cespedes, and could look to get younger. And there are a number of others that would be intrigued by Ozuna's services. Not all of these systems have young pitching to send back to Miami, however. It remains to be seen how serious Loria is about moving Ozuna, but if his history is any indication, then something could happen quickly and unexpectedly.