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Shohei Ohtani is a generational talent and one of the best baseball players many of us have ever seen play in person. And because of that, it is no surprise that there has been plenty of speculation about whether the lowly Los Angeles Angels will trade him before the MLB trade deadline.
With Ohtani set to become a free agent in the offseason and set up for a major payday, it would be wise of the Angels to try to get something in return before their superstar bolts for greener pastures.
The Angels have seemed reluctant in the past, but that could all be changing.
According to a report from Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, the Angels are now in “listening mode” when it comes to trading Ohtani and they are fielding inquiries.
In exchange for Ohtani, the Angels will seek multiple top 100 prospects and more.
The Angels are now in a listening mode with Shohei Ohtani trade inquiries, sources say, as I reported in this @MLBNetwork segment. Suitors must be prepared to offer multiple top-100 type prospects to begin the conversation. @MLBPipeline @MLB pic.twitter.com/WEea8ReOlt
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 15, 2023
But who could be in the mix to trade for the Japanese megastar?
You have the usual suspects like the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets who are going to be teams to watch and potential front-runners to pull the trigger on a trade.
It seems like Ohtani has settled into Los Angeles, so the Dodgers would be an appealing option allowing him to remain in the city he has called home but there is also the appeal that comes with playing in New York.
It will be interesting to see what happens leading up to the trade deadline, but the good news is that it seems like Ohtani could finally be free.
