By Ron Johnson
We are getting to the moment in which Judgement Day is upon us…in baseball, that is. With multiple teams vying for the services of baseball’s Swiss Army Knife aka Shohei Ohtani, everyone in the baseball world is sizing up who and what they are willing to give up for Ohtani to join their team.
So here are the potential options as well as our thoughts on those moves.
Ohtani Has Been Traded To:
Tampa Bay Rays
Trade Proposal: Ohtani for 3B Curtis Mead, 1B Kyle Manzardo, INF/OF Vidal Brujan, LHP Mason Montgomery, RHP Cole Wilcox
The reason for the Rays’ success over the past decade has been their success in channeling their inner Libra and finding balance between their present and their future. They bring in young, controllable players through their farm system who love to contribute. This is what could bring Ohtani in as a veteran to make the young guys better but also add to his own historic reign at the top. Ohtani could be the missing piece of the puzzle that leads the Rays to their first World Series Crown.
Baltimore Orioles
Trade Proposal: Ohtani for INF Joey Ortiz, INF/OF Connor Norby, LHP DL Hall, OF Dylan Beavers, OF Kyle Stowers
The Orioles have become a thorn in the sides of Tampa Bay as just a few days ago, they took over the top of the AL East, and they intend on staying there for as long as they can. As we get closer to August 1st, the Orioles could possibly offer a package involving a pair of current top prospects and a former top prospect.
The Orioles are getting themselves out of the basement dwelling and to the top floor as a legitimate threat to the American League. Sitting at 59-38 and atop the division would be great fit for them, but it comes down to the prospect of giving up some homegrown talent to get Ohtani in their clubhouse.
New York Yankees
Trade Proposal: Ohtani for OF Jasson Dominguez, INF Oswald Peraza, RHP Clarke Schmidt, SS Trey Sweeney
Despite the skid they have been on periodically, the Yankees are still in charge of their own destiny. If they keep winning, they might find themselves going from worst to first in the division. Yankees have tried before to get Ohtani (2017-18 offseason), and when that didn’t pan out, they opted for Giancarlo Stanton (NL MVP at the time). Ohtani has fell in love with the West Coast, so this may play a factor in if the Yanks have an outside chance to grab him this time around.
This would practically depend on if Ohtani has loosened his stance on playing on the East Coast. If he has changed his tune on this, expect the Yankees to go all ahead full to grab their Great White Buffalo (Hot Tub Time Machine reference. Look it up.)
Seattle Mariners
Trade Proposal: Ohtani, INF Brandon Drury and cash considerations for RHP Logan Gilbert, C Harry Ford, INF Cole Young, RHP Emerson Hancock, INF Michael Arroyo
If there was ever a trade that is beyond the stratosphere, it would be this one. Ohtani loves the West Coast and wants to contribute to a team to help them win a championship. But this one is more of the rivalry amongst the management of both teams. Mariners President of Baseball Ops Jerry Dipoto worked for Angels owner Arte Moreno as GM before resigning in 2015.
Now whether it is because of sour grapes, hard feelings or a couple of Chads not getting their way is irrelevant. The only thing that matters in this scenario is what Ohtani wants to do, and if both sides can get a deal done, just make it happen. Translation: Check your egos at the door and look at the bigger picture.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Trade Proposal: Ohtani for RHP Bobby Miller, C Diego Cartaya, INF Michael Busch, RHP Nick Nastrini, RHP Kyle Hurt, C Thayron Liranzo
As I have stated before, the Dodgers are just plain garbage. If they are aiming for respect, they will not get any here. And this is not about egos by any means. This is about respect, and this version of the Dodgers does not respect anyone but themselves and demands it from everyone else. Here’s the problem though: They won one World Series in the past decade, and it already got proven that that win was a fluke.
The Dodgers do not appear to have the capability to pull off the trade necessary to win the Ohtani Sweepstakes, and even dangling that World Series Trophy in his face will not be enough to lure him to the other side of the 405. Ohtani loves the West Coast, and I honestly see him going to Seattle before going to LA Team B. However, if by some miracle the Dodgers get him, Ohtani should incorporate a ‘F Around and Find Out’ Clause in his contract with them that states if they are not in the World Series or winning it within two years, he gets the chance to opt out and become a free agent.
To make all this legitimate, this is what it comes down to for Ohtani: He is going to want to join a team that is almost guaranteed to win the World Series within the next five or six years. If he has not changed his stance on playing on the East Coast, do not expect him to join the Yankees, Mets, Braves or Orioles. If he looks at it as he will be the only offense for the team, that will not be a good selling point.
Ohtani is not LeBron, in the fact that people actually LIKE him as an athlete and a person. He has shown that he is willing to do as much as he can to get the job done, but have the Angels started doing all they can? Considering they are 50-48 right now, riding a four game winning streak and are only four games out of the final wild card, at least they are trying. If teams start tanking just to see if that will get his attention, they are following the wrong formula. Ohtani is looking for teams that are ready to win now and have the young talent to build around him in order to do just that.
To put it mildly, this will be the longest week and a half in everyone’s lives as they wait on pins and needles in regards to not only what Shohei is going to do but also seeing what the Angels will do at the deadline. The question will still remain up to this point though: What are teams willing to sacrifice to get a deal done IF Ohtani becomes available before August 1st?