A massive blockbuster trade proposal has the Toronto Blue Jays landing Shohei Ohtani to bolster their 2023 postseason run.
This year’s MLB trade deadline falls on Tuesday. Though the Angels defeated the Blue Jays 3-2 on Sunday afternoon,they’re still four games out of the final wild card spot in the American League with 56 games to go.
Staff members at FOX Sports pieced together 12 trade proposals for the 2021 American League MVP. One such proposal had the Jays landing Ohtani in exchange for infielder Santiago Espinal and prospects Otto Lopez, Yosver Zulueta Ricky Tiedemann and Addison Barger:
“Is this the likeliest outcome? With a farm system universally ranked in baseball’s bottom half, as low as 24th by FanGraphs, probably not. It’s not just that the Blue Jays lack the trade pieces other teams can offer, but also that they’re not as well-equipped to replenish the losses as other teams would be. But is it at least feasible if Tiedemann is involved? Sure!
He is the only consensus top-100 prospect in Toronto’s system (FanGraphs also includes Barger, who is in this deal, as a top-60 guy), and while the Blue Jays don’t possess the top-level prospect capital of other contenders, they could still put together an enticing enough package that includes a combo of major-league ready talent and projectability to haul in a piece as dazzling as Ohtani. If Tiedemann is not involved, the Angels probably hang up.”
Despite the loss to the Angels, Toronto remains 2.5 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the final wild card spot in the American League. Adding a player of Ohtani’s caliber could certainly help the Jays gain ground on the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles (64-41).
The 29-year-old Ohtani has pieced together another MLB-like campaign. As a pitcher, he’s 9-5 with an ERA of 3.43 with 156 strikeouts in 120.2 innings pitched. As a batter, Ohtani is hitting a career-best .302 with 39 home runs and 81 RBI.
Ohtani is in the final season of his contract with the Angels. Though he would surely land the team a massive haul in a potential trade, Angels’ owner Arte Moreno seems set on keeping Ohtani for the remainder of the regular season.
