Shohei Ohtani rumors: 5 monstrous trade packages to land Angels star

The bidding war for Angels star Shohei Ohtani is on, but to acquire him, contenders should expect to send a haul of prospects back the other way.

Just last season, the asking price for Shohei Ohtani was astronomical. In fact, it seemed the Angels set it so high — several top-100 prospects and young MLB players, perhaps totaling six players — because they had no intention of dealing him whatsoever.

It would seem that remains the case. The Angels hope — nay, pray — that Ohtani will help lead an Angels postseason run that will sway him towards staying in Anaheim. However, the odds of that happening are slim at this point in time, which is why the organization is at least listening to offers on Ohtani. This time, it’s for real.

Ohtani is the best rental player who has ever been available at the deadline. Yes, I said it. Any trade package to land the two-way star would have to include multiple top-100 prospects, and some young MLB talent as well.

There is no asking price for Ohtani right now because the bidding war has yet to begin. Opposing teams will set the price, and the Angels will sit and wait, hoping to receive as much value as possible for a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

Orioles trade package for Shohei Ohtani

Baltimore arguably can put together the best prospect package for Ohtani, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network pointed out when he theorized the O’s as a possible suitor for the two-way star earlier this week.

While the O’s have yet to really be identified as a suitor, they do have a strong farm system and plenty of young talent making its way to the big leagues right now.

Baltimore is in a unique spot. Yes, the Orioles want to improve their current major-league product as they battle for an AL East crown, but acquiring Ohtani would at the same time hamstring their farm system should they not prove able to retain him in free agency. For example, I named Jackson Holliday as their best trade asset. Holliday is one of the best prospects in all of baseball:

“The Baltimore Orioles system is loaded with talent. Out of those who have yet to make the big leagues, Jackson Holliday is the premiere player. Holliday is only 19 years old and a shortstop. He’s a former No. 1 overall selection, and the son of former MLB All-Star Matt Holliday. Jackson is also the best prospect in all of baseball, so he’s likely off the table in any trade. But we can dream.”

The Halos would likely demand Holliday in this trade, but Baltimore would ideally find a way around trading their former top draft pick. Let’s see if we can make it work.

This is…the best I can do for the Angels, really. Baltimore takes on Rendon’s contract, which should lower Ohtani’s value some. Urias is a capable third baseman to take some of his reps. Crowser and Ortiz are both top-100 prospects per MLB Pipeline, while Bradish is a No. 2 or No. 3 starting pitcher on a competitive team.