Angels' Shohei Ohtani Named Potential Red Sox Fit At Trade Deadline

Boston would be an instant playoff contender with Ohtani on the roster

Scott Neville | May 22, 2023

Angels' Shohei Ohtani Named Potential Red Sox Fit At Trade Deadline /

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Boston Red Sox

Would the Boston Red Sox make a franchise-altering deal to acquire the best player in Major League Baseball at this year's trade deadline?

Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani is an impending free agent and could be dealt at the trade deadline if they continue to falter in the American League West -- which is likely.

One pundit believes the Red Sox are a likely destination this summer for Ohtani.

"It’s an arms race in the American League East, TWSN's Gavin Patrick wrote Tuesday. "The (Tampa Bay) Rays don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon and the (New York) Yankees could be in on Ohtani should he become a free agent. Boston only has one prospect inside the top 75 of MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects (Marcelo Mayer at No. 5 overall), so he’d likely have to be packaged with other young talent and draft picks to get Ohtani. If the Red Sox can pull off a deal, they go from a cellar team in their division to a postseason contender immediately. Not only that, they keep an elite player like Ohtani out of the Yankees' hands for the foreseeable future."

There have been some reasons to be optimistic about Ohtani suiting up for the Red Sox in the future. Red Sox part-owner Tom Werner gushed over the value of Ohtani earlier in the season.

MassLive's Chris Cotillo rather confidently said that if Ohtani were to reach free agency, Boston would be involved. Cotillo is one of the most informed Red Sox sources around and he doesn't just spew nonsense for clicks.

However, the quote here from Patrick is pure punditry, and not one that makes much sense. The Red Sox are not going to decimate the farm system to acquire Ohtani given the current state of the franchise.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have enough talent and depth to make this kind of move, the Red Sox would cripple the future to make this trade. They'd have to give up so many foundational pieces it would be possible to make the team worse by trading for Ohtani.

Patrick writing Mayer would "likely" have to be packaged with other young talent shows a lack of understanding for Ohtani's value and his mention of draft picks tells me he's likely not a well-formed baseball analyst -- the only draft picks teams are allowed to trade are compensatory picks, which would not move the needle much for Ohtani.

I agree with Cotillo that a free-agent push for Ohtani is much more likely, though I'd be skeptical that the Red Sox would be willing to make the highest bid.

More MLB: Red Sox Trade Veteran Outfielder To Yankees For Intriguing Young Pitcher

Published May 22, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu