It is rare that a prospect of Shohei Ohtani’s magnitude can live up to the massive hype, but that is exactly what the now 29-year-old has done. Unfortunately, he’s spent all five of his MLB seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, an organization determined to waste the prime of baseball’s unicorn.
Heading into the 2023 trade deadline, it does now seem that the rubber has met the road and the Angels will have to deal their cash cow to a serious baseball organization—or they will risk losing him for nothing in free agency this offseason for nothing.
There is no shortage of teams that have thrown their hats into the ring interest-wise, but not everyone has what it takes to land the two-way superstar. Let’s check out four contenders and 4 pretenders in the Ohtani Sweepstakes.
Contender – New York Mets
With Steve Cohen calling the shots in Queens, anything is possible. The former hedge-fund manager has taken his savage deal-making from Wall Street to the MLB hot stove and he is determined to make the Mets a perennial winner, no matter the cost.
Inking a deal to bring Ohtani to town and extending him long-term would be his magnum opus.
Pretender – Baltimore Orioles
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The Orioles being in contention for the AL East crown in 2023 has been a pleasant, yet undeserved surprise—not for the fans, but for the ownership group that has done everything this side of directly sabotaging the team’s success over the past couple of seasons.
With Ohtani owed a relatively minuscule sum of $10 million for the remainder of the 2023 season, Baltimore has been linked to the Angels star, but folks are putting the cart before the horse with this one.
Contender – San Francisco Giants
After swinging and missing on the top free agents during the 2022 offseason, the Giants might look to take another hack at the deadline by acquiring and extending Shohei. San Fran has a handful of top prospects that it can package too.
Pretender – Texas Rangers
The Rangers are serious contenders for the AL West crown—and may even the World Series this year. The reasons to bring Ohtani into town are obvious, he can bolster both their rotations and lineup heading into the postseason, but considering how unlikely it is he’d extend there long-term, it would be rather surprising to see them pay the price for such a high-end rental.
Contender – New York Yankees
Now—these aren’t your daddy’s Yankees, who would’ve been a lock to acquire Ohtani, but they have all the financial backing and cultural appeal to get and keep Shohei in the Big Apple.
Getting him would both help their 2023 prospects in a competitive AL East—and restore some of the mystique of New York Yankees baseball long-term.
Pretender – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have clearly demonstrated the ability to land big-named stars—regardless of the price tag, but snagging Ohtani at the deadline from their in-state rival, may be a bridge too far.
Obviously, the interest is there, but when you look at how shallow their farm system is, LA has a much better chance of signing him outright in the offseason.
Contender – Seattle Mariners
Considering the organization’s historical success with Japanese superstars, like Ichiro, the Mariners could be a great fit for Ohtani long-term.
Not only can he help the Mariners make their 2023 playoff push, but he will make them relevant for years to come—and Seattle has the pieces to make it happen. The only caveat is that Seattle would likely only make a deal for Ohtani if the team knows an extension is eminent.
Pretender – Boston Red Sox
Ask any Red Sox fan who watched the team trade away its home-grown superstar, Mookie Betts, to cut costs, how seriously we should take the rumors that they are interested in bringing Ohtani.
Trading for Ohtani would ravage their farm system and he will likely draw a $500 million deal this offseason. Neither of those prospects are in line with how their ownership has run their operations over the last couple years.
