The trade deadline is now just over a week away, and one question is on the minds of every contending team: Will the Los Angeles Angels really deal two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani? It seemed unfathomable just a month or so ago, and it’s still hard to see it happening as long as the team hangs on to even a sliver of hope in the AL playoff picture (this week’s sweep of the New York Yankees certainly helped on that front).
But with L.A. still three back in the loss column of the final Wild Card spot — and with a 13.2% chance to make the postseason, per Fangraphs — it’s not inconceivable that one bad week could have the team changing course. At the very least, they appear to be preparing for the possibility:
Sources: The Angels are not close to a decision on whether to trade Shohei Ohtani. They’re likely to wait until the final 24-48 hours before the Aug. 1 deadline. Teams continue to contact the Angels and express interest in Ohtani, because why wouldn’t they? @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 20, 2023
So we’ll prepare for it too. We’ve already ranked the most likely landing spots in the event that Ohtani gets dealt, and now we’re going to take a look at what the teams toward the top of that list would have to give up in order to land the presumptive AL MVP. Any Ohtani trade would inevitably be a delicate dance — as amazing as he is, he’s also headed for free agency this winter, which is sure to dampen his value at least a bit — but let’s see what we can come up with.
First up: the Yankees, a team that finds itself at a major crossroads as the deadline looms. New York missed out on Ohtani in the winter of 2017-18 — the Japanese star declined a request to even meet with the team’s brass — and pivoted to Giancarlo Stanton instead, a series of events that certainly doesn’t look great in hindsight. Can Brian Cashman and Co. rectify it six years later? The Yankees haven’t given their front office much reason to believe in their ability to go deep into October of late, and it remains unclear whether Ohtani would have interest in signing a long-term contract on the East Coast. Still, selling is not in this organization’s DNA, and there’s no brighter star available on the trade market. How might Cashman get a deal done? (All prospect rankings courtesy of MLB Pipeline.)
Potential Shohei Ohtani trades: New York Yankees
Trade #1
Yankees get: Shohei Ohtani
Angels get: INF Oswald Peraza, OF Jasson Dominguez (No. 1 org prospect, No. 41 overall), RHP Clarke Schmidt, SS Trey Sweeney (No. 5 org prospect), RHP Will Warren (No. 7 org prospect)
With Anthony Volpe’s stock at an all-time low, Peraza represents New York’s most enticing young talent, as the infielder lit up Triple-A this year but has been blocked by Josh Donaldson and DJ LeMahieu. Schmidt has shown mid-rotation potential this season, while Dominguez, Sweeney and Warren would give the Angels’ farm system an immediate shot in the arm.
Trade #2
Yankees get: Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon
Angels get: 2B Gleyber Torres, OF Spencer Jones (No. 3 org prospect), RHP Clarke Schmidt, RHP Drew Thorpe (No. 6 org prospect)
Of course, if the Angels do deal Ohtani, that would trigger a full-on rebuild — and a desire to get out from under the albatross that is Rendon’s contract. The Yankees are uniquely suited to absorb the nearly $115 million remaining on his deal after this season, and doing so could allow New York to offer fewer of their top prospects. In this scenario, Torres goes to L.A., giving the Angels another 26-year-old building block with two years left of team control, while Peraza slots in as New York’s starting second baseman next to Volpe in 2024.
