Let's Talk About Shohei Ohtani To The Guardians, What A Trade Could Look Like
The biggest name to circulate trade rumors leading up to the MLB deadline will be Shohei Ohtani. The Los Angeles Angels aren't even sure if they are trading arguably the greatest player of this generation, but that won't stop the rumors from continuing.
Some of the obvious candidates that will look to trade for the AL MVP front-runner at the Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and Seattle Mariners. However, we could always see a dark horse swoop in if he is dealt.
Could the Cleveland Guardians be that team?
The first question we have to ask ourselves is, "Is there even any precedent for Ohtani to want to come to Cleveland?" Well, there actually may be.
When Shohei was asked who he was most excited to share the dugout with during the All-Star game a couple of weeks ago, he shocked everyone and said, Jose Ramirez. This threw Guardians fans into a frenzy imagining what their roster would look like with Ohtani on it.
Shohei clearly admires Ramirez's game and personality enough for him to name-drop him on national television, which was pretty cool to see from a fan's perspective.
But it's way more complicated than that.
If the Angels do give in and send Ohtani to another team, they'll be asking for the biggest trade haul in the history of baseball. Easily surpassing what the Washington Nationals got for Juan Soto a year ago.
LA will most likely want a combination of Major League talent and prospects for the future. Cleveland currently possesses both of those options.
Let's start with the young talent. In the event of a Guardians-Angels blockbuster trade, Tanner Bibee or Gavin Williams are almost guaranteed to be in the package. They're both young pitchers who've proven they have what it takes to pitch in MLB.
OF George Valera, SS/2B Brayan Rocchio, and LHP Joey Cantillo are also top 15 prospects in Cleveland's system (according to MlB.com) that the Angels could have interest in.
In terms of current Big League talent, there's really only one player that would make sense to be in the trade and that's Josh Bell. The known power-hitter is having somewhat of a down season in 2023 as he's hitting .239, slugging .400, with 11 home runs.
The real reason Bell would be in this trade is to help balance out the finances. Bell is owed $16.5 million this season while Ohtani is to be paid $30 million, per Spotrac.
Okay, is any of this actually realistic?
Probably not.
Cleveland may have what it takes to trade for Ohtani but it wouldn't make sense for the future. It would likely be a rental for the final two months of the season until the two-way player likely breaks records for whatever contract he receives.
However, it's still fun to imagine and speculate what a trade for a historic player could be.
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Read More:
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Xzavion Curry Continues To Be A Reliable Option For The Guardians
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