If the Los Angeles Angels put superstar Shohei Ohtani on the trade block, an annual World Series contender will reportedly be the most aggressive for him.
The two-way stalwart is in the final year of his contract. Though Angels’ owner Arte Moreno hasn’t outright stated that he’s looking to trade Ohtani, the club (45-46) is five games out of the final wild card spot in American League.
If the Angels are well out of the postseason race by the Aug. 1 trade deadline, they should be keen on trading Ohtani for a giant haul that could help accelerate their rebuild.
Speaking on “Get Up” (h/t Christian Arnold of the New York Post), ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the New York Yankees are viewed “as potentially being the most motivated” to trade for the 2021 AL MVP:
“Well you start with the Yankees. The Yankees, the Yankees, the Yankees. The Rangers, the Rays, maybe a small handful of teams, but there’s no doubt, talking with sources yesterday, they see the Yankees as potentially being the most motivated. Because Gerrit Cole, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, they’re middle-aged players right in the prime of their careers. This is the Yankees’ window to win now…
You bring in Ohtani and Suddenly the Yankees rotation with him involved looks so strong. Ohtani hitting in Yankee Stadium, which favors left-handed sluggers. That’s something the Yankees would be willing to pay for if Ohtani is made available by the Angels.”
The Yankees are 49-42 coming out of the All-Star break, but they’re a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros for the final two wild card spots in the AL.
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Though they’re well above .500, the Yankees are widely regarded as one of the biggest disappointments thus far in 2023. A year ago, they won 99 games and reached the ALCS, where they fell to the Astros.
The Yankees would surely move atop the list of World Series favorites if they somehow landed Ohtani. As a pitcher, he’s 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 100.1 innings pitched. As a hitter, he’s batting .302 with a 1.050 OPS (both career-highs to date) with 32 homers and 71 RBI.
