3 favorites to land Shohei Ohtani, and why they shouldn’t be too confident

The 2023 MLB Trade Deadline could be one for the history books, as generational talent Shohei Ohtani might be on the move. 

The Los Angeles Angels have a humongous decision to make when it comes to Shohei Ohtani. The 28-year-old two-way superstar is eligible to be an unrestricted free agent (UFA) next offseason, and the Angels will stop at nothing to get him signed to a new deal. However, if Ohtani makes it abundantly clear that he wants to test the free-agent market, the Angels will have no choice but to shop him. They simply cannot lose a player of his magnitude for nothing through free agency if they are not competing for a World Series championship.

Although it is only March, there is already a ton of buzz over which teams are interested in acquiring the star, and there appear to be three early-season favorites for the star. Yet, at the same time, they should not be too confident. Let’s discuss all of this now.

3 favorites to land Shohei Ohtani, and why they shouldn’t be too confident.

3. New York Yankees

Let’s be honest — the New York Yankees are never afraid to make a blockbuster trade. They are famous for being big spenders. As a result, it is quite easy to believe that they will be heavily involved in the Ohtani sweepstakes. After all, they are heading into the 2023 season with World Series or bust expectations, and Ohtani could be the final piece of the puzzle that helps make that come to fruition.

Moreover, there appears to be a perfect fit between Ohtani and the Yankees as well. After losing Andrew Benintendi through free agency, it is fair to argue that the Yankees could use another outfielder. With that, their rotation would benefit from adding another elite arm to it, so Ohtani would provide two major needs for the Yankees. Thus, do not be shocked when the Yankees make Ohtani their primary target at the deadline.