The Angels are apparently listening to trade offers on Shohei Ohtani
By Cam Lewis
1 year agoImagine if the Blue Jays could acquire a big left-handed bat to diversify their lineup while also adding a very good starting pitcher in the same trade.
Maybe they can!
According to Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Los Angeles Angels are entertaining the possibility of trading dual-threat Shohei Ohtani…
The Angels are telling teams they need to listen to offers for everyone following the surprise collapse of their team off a very strong start that had them in first place in May. That doesn’t mean all-time great Mike Trout has a chance to be dealt: He has a no-trade clause, is currently battling a back issue and is playing under a long-term deal.A trade involving Ohtani might be only slightly more likely, considering longtime Angels owner Arte Moreno loves his biggest stars and seems to be more involved than most owners. Two executives calling about Ohtani expressed doubt that the Angels would pull the trigger on such a megadeal based on the history of the team and the owner.
Ohtani won American League MVP last season after one of the most impressive seasons in baseball history. He hit 46 homers and had a .965 OPS over 639 plate appearances and he had a 3.18 ERA over the course of 23 starts. This season, his production at the plate is down slightly but his pitching has been elite, as he has a 2.81 ERA and is striking out 13.1 batters per nine over 17 starts.
Ohtani is being paid $5.5 million this season but he’s eligible for arbitration in the off-season and then he’s eligible to hit the open market after the 2023 season. While Angels owner Arte Moreno loves his star players, he might not love paying Ohtani what he’s going to command as a free agent.
The NY Post article mentions that the Angels might be looking for a team’s top four prospects in return, which, from a Blue Jays perspective, would be Gabriel Moreno, Orelvis Martinez, Ricky Tiedemann, and Jordan Groshans. Honestly, that seems light for a year-and-a-half of Ohtani given how good he’s been the past couple of seasons.
If there was ever a player to empty the farm for, it’s Ohtani, a wildly unique talent who fills two needs at once.
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