MLB Rumors: 3 prospects Mets would have to include in Shohei Ohtani trade

Shohei Ohtani trade: Mets prospect Dominic Hamel

Yes, reading that was likely incredibly painful for Mets fans. It’s understandable, as most fanbases don’t like to part ways with top prospects, and any trade for Ohtani will include several of those.

If there’s one thing the Angels system is lacking, it’s young pitching. This is where New York comes in. After trading the likes of Alvarez and Baty, should it happen, New York is also on the hook for some pitching. It won’t be their best pitching prospects, though.

Dominic Hamel is a capable pitcher. He nearly MLB ready, and is another top-10 prospect in a very good Mets system. Last season, Hamel went 10-3 with a 3.25 ERA across two levels in New York’s system. So far this year, he has a 1.29 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in Double-A.

Hamel is the perfect pitcher for any spin rate junkies out there, and you can bet the Angels will do their homework. One doesn’t simply trade the best player in baseball without checking the tape first.

As good as Hamel is, he’s also the second-best pitching prospect the Mets have, with Blake Tidwell a step above. Calvin Ziegler and Mike Vasil are also right behind him in the MLB Pipeline rankings, and younger. Hamel is 23 years old.

Trading Hamel now makes the most sense if at all, especially for a player like Ohtani.