The MLB monsters out west, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants are reportedly the top contenders for the best player by far on the 2023 trade market, Shohei Ohtani.
With the All-Star break in the rearview, the focus for many teams around the sport is on the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline. As always, there should be several major impact talents up for grabs, however, none compare to the possibility of acquiring MVP candidate Shohei Ohtani.
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The Japanese star has become a transcendent talent, and with the Los Angeles Angels in the midst of falling out of playoff contention and his impending free agency hovering over the franchise, there has been a huge amount of speculation around the organization taking a serious dive into the trade market and seeing what the historic return could be for his services.
Los Angeles Dodgers seen as favorites in Shohei Ohtani trade market
On Saturday, MLB Network league insider Jon Morosi gave an update on a potential Ohtani market and he revealed that despite resistance for weeks, the Angels are now in “listening mode.” However, the biggest standout from his report was his case for why the Los Angeles Dodgers are seen as seriously strong contenders to land the two-way superstar.
“There is really no way to discern what a fair offer would be other than to see if they get multiple players offered among the top 100 prospects in the game, they have to at least start thinking about it,” Morsi said. “And that’s where they’re at right now. Thinking [and] considering. … The Dodgers have nine players among the top 100, according to MLBPipeLine.com. That’s the most of any team. And we know that according to many projections, the widely expected team that’s the favorite to sign Ohtani this winter is the Los Angeles Dodgers.”
Yet, despite the strong position the Dodgers are in, Morsi did admit there are many around the sport that have serious doubts the Angeles would be willing to trade a generational talent to a rival team even though the return could be extremely beneficial for their future.
That is where the San Francisco Giants come into play. They missed out on Aaron Judge in the winter and still have the means and desire to add a superstar talent to the roster. Following Morsi’s report, fellow MLB Network analyst Eric Karros — who played for the Dodgers — made the case that San Francisco is probably the most likely destination for Shohei Ohtani if he is traded.
“The Angels need to trade him. If they don’t they are doing a disservice to their organization,” said Karros. “Now you want me to take it a step further, who’s he going to be playing for? He’s going to be playing for the Giants. That makes all the sense in the world. They have the wherewithal, they get him for a couple of months to try and court him so they can sign him for free agency, it makes all the sense.”
The New York Yankees are also seen as a team who would make an aggressive play for the Angels All-Star if he became available before the MLB trade deadline.