Angels Rumors: Baseball Analyst Predicts Shohei Ohtani Trade to LA Rival this Offseason

The postseason isn't even over and the rumors are already flying.

Hopefully Angels fans prepared themselves for this offseason. The rumors are not going to be fun.

In the midst of the NLCS and ALCS series, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter made offseason trade predictions for every team. There were some blockbusters, and there were some smaller trades for prospects. But none were bigger than the trade between the two LA teams.

Reuter predicted the Angels would trade Shohei Ohtani to their crosstown rival Dodgers this offseason, for a pretty hefty package.

The complete trade looked as follows:

Dodgers Receive: RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani

Angels Receive: RHP Dustin May, C Diego Cartaya, 2B Michael Busch, RHP Gavin Stone, OF Andy Pages, OF James Outman

This is by no means a small haul for the Angels, but would they really trade Ohtani this offseason rather than trying to put together a winning season that convinces him to stay for the foreseeable future? Reuter sure thinks so.

"The two-way superstar signed a one-year, $30 million deal earlier this month to lock in his final year of arbitration control," Reuter said. "But with free agency on the horizon after the 2023 campaign, now is the time for the Angels to move him if they don't think a long-term extension is doable."

Here was his reasoning for this specific deal.

"This package would be a franchise-altering deal for both sides, with the Angels getting six players with top-100 prospect value or thereabouts," Reuter said. "This completely overhauls the Angels roster and sets them up for future success."

If the Angels don't think Ohtani is going to return in 2024, then I understand the thought process — and this would be an impressive return for the Angels. But Ohtani hasn't said anything to make you believe he's leaving yet, and Angels GM Perry Minasian has already made his intentions clear about wanting to re-sign Ohtani.

And at this point, it appears Ohtani wants to play this season out before making a decision about his future. A winning season for the Angels could certainly convince him to stay, but another down year could all but end Ohtani's time in Anaheim. So do the Angels want to roll the dice, or get what they can out of him now?

Let's just say, Minasian won't have an easy decision this offseason.

Do you think the Angels should trade Ohtani?