Shohei Ohtani rumors: 5 teams ready to trade for star if Angels fall from contention

The MLB season is only three weeks old, and the Shohei Ohtani trade rumors are already starting. Here are five teams in the mix to land the superstar if the Los Angeles Angels fall out of contention.

Los Angeles Angels pitching and hitting superstar Shohei Ohtani is a free agent at the end of the season, again, so it’s no surprise that the trade rumor mill has started churning. Five teams are already being mentioned as possible destinations for the former MVP if the Angels are out of the playoff picture before the trade deadline.

With the Angels off to a 9-10 record, sitting three and half games back of the Rangers in the AL West, MLB insider Jeff Passan appeared on ESPN’s Get Up and said that “If the Angels fall out of contention and it’s just more of the same as it’s been over the last five years there, he could be traded, and he will definitely leave.”

Which teams does Passan think to have a shot at landing and then re-signing the best player on the planet? There are some obvious answers that Passan lists and maybe a couple of not-so-obvious teams that he thinks would pay the $500 million-plus it will take to acquire Ohtani’s services past 2023.

Shohei Ohtani rumors: Insider reveals 5 teams ready to trade for Angels’ star

5. Los Angeles Dodgers

Passan mentions the Los Angeles Dodgers as one of the two top destinations for Ohtani, which shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Dodgers always seem to be in play for the big free agents on the market each offseason. However, this past winter, they were relatively quiet with offseason signings, letting Trea Turner walk to sign a massive 11-year, $300 million contract with the Phillies.

The perennial World Series contenders instead opted for a more modest approach. They signed a few veterans to one-year deals, a la Noah Syndergaard and David Peralta. They’re also giving some of their talented prospects, such as Miguel Vargas and James Outman, some consistent big-league experience to see what they have for the future or possibly to use in trade.

The un-Dodger-like approach to their 2023 roster suggests that the front office wants to remain flexible to give the team the ability to either land Ohtani in-season or take a run at him in the offseason.

Moving down the freeway and joining fellow stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman would be a smart move for Ohtani if, as Passan asserts, “winning is an absolute priority for him.”

4. New York Mets

Passan thinks that the New York Mets are the team that will “butt heads” with the Dodgers for a shot at Shohei Ohtani.

After the Mets’ recent offseason, there’s no reason to think owner Steve Cohen won’t open up his wallet to bring Ohtani to the Big Apple long-term. With the highest total payroll in the majors, at over $345 million, the Mets wouldn’t sneeze at a deal over half a billion dollars if it meant securing the services of the biggest baseball star in the world for the foreseeable future.

After being decimated by injuries to their pitching staff to start the season, dealing for Ohtani’s career 2.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 31.2 percent strikeout rate would be a welcome addition to a starting rotation already featuring Max Scherzer, Kodai Senga and, hopefully, Justin Verlander.

The Mets have some exciting youngsters to choose from if they were to put a package together for Ohtani. With catcher Francisco Álvarez and third baseman Brett Baty now on the big league roster, plus pitchers David Peterson and Tyler Megill showing their stuff in the rotation, there are plenty of big-league-ready players to throw at the Angels. Not to mention prospects such as José Butto, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio in Triple-A.

3. San Francisco Giants

After the Dodgers and Mets, Passan names the San Francisco Giants as one of the other top contenders in the possible Shohei Ohtani stakes if the Angels fall out of contention before the deadline.

As one of the teams willing to give Carlos Correa a 13-year, $350 million contract this past offseason, before the wheels fell off the deal, the Giants have shown that they are not afraid to spend big to bring in a star.

Whether they’d be able to offer the Angels enough to swing a trade in-season is another matter. With the 17th-ranked farm system, per MLB Pipeline, the Giants only have a couple of top 100 prospects to offer as part of a package. While lefty Kyle Harrison and shortstop Marco Luciano are ranked 18 and 22, respectively, there may not be enough else in the system to get the Angels to part with their superstar.

The other question is if Ohtani would want to play in San Francisco. After finishing .500 last season, the Giants don’t look to be in a position to contend for the World Series, let alone a division title any time soon, with the Dodgers, Padres and upstart Diamondbacks to compete with.

Their 2023 campaign has gotten off to a rocky start at 6-12, so moving to the Bay Area would be a lateral move at best for the 28-year-old, and most likely, he would end up in a worse situation than he’s in with the Angels.

2. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees have to be mentioned if there’s a discussion about big-name free agents on the move, and Passan includes them on the list of teams that would be vying for a piece of Shohei Ohtani.

After his recent trip to New York, fans in the Bronx would be ecstatic to see Ohtani in Yankee pinstripes at the trade deadline. Just imagine the damage the lefty slugger could do hitting to right field in Yankee Stadium 81 games a year.

Would the Yankees be willing to part ways with any of their top prospects to land Ohtani before he hits free agency?

For a player of his caliber, there wouldn’t be much in the farm system that would be untouchable. The Yankees are bursting at the seams with young talent, from Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe already in the majors to Jasson Domínguez who showed out in Spring Training; New York should be able to assemble a package to pry Ohtani away from the Angels.

You can bet that if the Yankees have designs of trading for Ohtani, they would certainly have plans to re-sign him to the biggest contract in Yankees and MLB history.

1. Seattle Mariners

The last team Passan mentions is the Seattle Mariners. This may be a surprising addition to the list, but it shouldn’t be. With the team on the west coast, if Shohei Ohtani wants to stay out west, Seattle would be an ideal option.

Despite scuffling out of the box this season, with an 8-11 record and sitting a game behind the Angels in the AL West, the Mariners are poised for big things. They made a splash in the postseason last year, and if they’re buyers at the deadline, the acquisition of Ohtani would automatically make them a favorite to make the playoffs and do some damage once there.

If Ohtani enjoys playing with Mike Trout, he’ll love the uber-talented center fielder in Seattle. Julio Rodríguez could be this generation’s Trout. At only 22, he has yet to show his full potential. The Mariners are set up for long-term success with a  tantalizing rotation that includes veterans Luis Castillo and Robbie Ray and youngsters Logan Gilbert and George Kirby.

Whether the Mariners would be willing to re-sign Ohtani in the offseason remains to be seen. The front office has shown they’re not afraid to spend recently. They made a bold move last summer when they signed Rodríguez to a potential $470 million deal in what could be the most complicated and biggest contract in MLB history (not including Ohtani’s impending mega-deal) by the time it’s all said and done.

The real wild card may be Japanese legend Ichiro Suzuki, who works in the team’s front office and is Ohtani’s hero.

Would the connection with Ichiro be enough to entice the best player in the world to move to Seattle? Maybe not in and of itself, but it’s another card in the hand of the Mariners.