After months and months of speculation, it seems that the Los Angeles Angels are at least considering a trade of superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Per MLB’s Jon Morosi, trading Ohtani is “not being ruled out” by Los Angeles ahead of the MLB’s Aug. 1 trade deadline.
“The club is not ruling out the possibility of a deadline deal, even though the standard to move Ohtani is extraordinarily high,” Morosi wrote. “The team’s performance over the upcoming homestand will be a big consideration in the Angels’ ultimate course. At this point, many in the industry still view a trade as unlikely.”
While Morosi did highlight the unlikelihood of the deal, it does make you wonder what would happen if the Angels did move on from Ohtani before his contract expires at the end of the season.
We’ve broken down five teams we think would be great fits for Ohtani should the baseball trade of the century actually take place this summer.
Los Angeles Dodgers
If Ohtani wants to remain on the West Coast, he could stay in Los Angeles to join the Dodgers and help give them a superteam that would immediately jump to World Series favorites.
Can you imagine Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Ohtani on the same team? They’d be must-see television. This idea is just too tantalizing not to mention, and it feels like the most likely situation on this list.
New York Yankees
Pairing Ohtani with superstar Aaron Judge in New York would make the Yankees the most exciting they’ve been since the heyday of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
New York would be the perfect market for someone of Ohtani’s talents to get fully appreciated, and you know the Yankees would go all-in on maximizing having Ohtani on the roster.
It might be annoying for the rest of us, but it’d admittedly be a great fit for all involved.
Seattle Mariners
Ohtani delightfully played coy when asked about joining the Mariners over the MLB’s All-Star Weekend, and he’d immediately make Seattle a much more likely contender in the American League.
If Ohtani wants to go to a team where he’d become the face of the franchise overnight, Seattle would be a good fit.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves haven’t been talked about much in the hypothetical Ohtani sweepstakes since they’ve got such a stacked roster as it is.
However, let’s just have fun and assume for a moment this could happen. Ohtani would pair with some of the game’s most talented players to give Atlanta true dynasty potential, if it doesn’t already have that.
A world-class talent like Ohtani joining the Braves would be one of the best baseball moves of the past decade, and it’s certainly make Atlanta an easy pick to win the World Series this fall. It’s not likely, but it is a fun idea.
Cincinnati Reds
The future of baseball would be that much more fun if Ohtani somehow ended up on the same roster as Elly De La Cruz, a budding superstar.
Cincinnati having Ohtani, De La Cruz and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as its big four sports figures would give the Queen City its most electric sports scene… ever?
The Reds are an outside contender, but they’re quickly becoming one of the league’s most promising outfits.
