Dodgers Rumors: LA Attempting to ‘Engage’ Angels in Trade for Shohei Ohtani
The Los Angeles Dodgers are never shy in trying to acquire the biggest names in the league. The front office has proven time and time again that they are willing to do whatever it takes to bring in new stars whether they are a rental or not. And that is no different in this season’s trade deadline.
While the biggest name on the market is Juan Soto — who is more than likely to get traded in the coming days — there is another generational talent who could find himself with a new team. The Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani could possibly (but very unlikely) be on the move before this year’s trade deadline.
While a Shohei Ohtani trade is viewed as unlikely, sources say the #Dodgers have tried to engage the #Angels regarding the possibility of acquiring the superstar. Many in the industry are skeptical that Ohtani would be dealt to the Angels’ geographic rival. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 30, 2022
The former AL MVP is currently batting .251 with 21 home runs and 59 RBIs and has an ERA of 2.81, with a 1.01 WHIP, and is responsible for 9 wins on a bad Angels team on the mound as a pitcher. Having a once-in-a-generation talent in be unfair if you were to plug him in with the lineup that the Dodgers already have. Potentially having 5 MVP’s at the same time would be almost unheard of. But, the haul would be even more monstrous.
Since Ohtani is a one-in-a-million player, the Dodgers would need to give up multiple top prospects and a couple of big leaguers in the process if a trade were to go down.
That being said, Arte Moreno wouldn’t even think about trading Ohtani to the Dodgers or even trading him at all. However, Ohtani has publicly stated his frustration with the team in regards to them not being contenders so this could play out differently compared to Trout’s time in Anaheim.
According to Bookies.com, the Dodgers aren’t even on the list to land the Japanese sensation, with the Angels being -115 favorites to retain Shohei. The San Diego Padres are next up at +500. You can’t count out Friedman though.
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