We're entering one of the most fascinating times in MLB trade deadline history. And it's all because of one player. That player, of course, is Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels pitching and hitting phenomenon. What's been said about Ohtani to this point is nothing new, as everything has just become repetitive, copy and pasted rumors and made up narratives about his eventual destination. There's nothing new because nothing has happened. Well, almost nothing.
The Angels have went from “never going to happen” to “we're listening,” when it comes to trading their once-in-a-lifetime superstar with perhaps a changing of the mind coming after Mike Trout went on the injured list. Trout, often finding his name on this list over the last several seasons, suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand. The Angels, meanwhile, have been rumored who they're not listening to, though, that being their neighbors, the Los Angeles Dodgers. So, who are they listening to?
That question is likely to be answered to who's offering and how much they're offering. Although rumored, they are the usuals, like the New York Yankees, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and others. Then there are those surprise teams being mentioned, like the Atlanta Braves.
Regardless of which team potentially decides to take a shot and make the offer, the one for certain thing about a trade for the Japanese superstar is that the cost will be high and most likely in the name of future, top-tier prospects. In this case, we're looking at the Braves and what they would have to offer and why it wouldn't be worth it if it were to become a realistic possibility.
The Braves prospect offer for Shohei Ohtani
We're going to use fellow ClutchPoints' writer Alex House's take on who he believes would be a worthy trade the Braves would have to offer to the Angels in order to acquire Ohtani. In his write-up, he believes the Braves should offer a fairly heavy prospect trade for the superstar, although it would come at a bit of a time where the Angels could be in desperation mode, late at the deadline.
“A good conversation at the perfect time could enable the Braves to keep their MLB roster intact and instead part with AJ Smith-Shawver, Owen Murphy and maybe Vaughn Grissom- who was expected to be the starting shortstop heading into Spring Training,” House writes. “That is a huge sacrifice for a two-month rental, but it makes the franchise a true powerhouse.”
The Braves shouldn't make a trade for Shohei Ohanti — period
If the Braves were going to make this sort of an offer, it would definitely be enticing, although I'm not sure it would still be enough for the likes of Ohtani. Murphy, 19, is the only player out of the three that hasn't made a major league appearance as of yet. Shawver and Grissom have made several, showcasing they could be valuable trade assets for the Braves — but they might be some of the only ones. Shawver and Murphy and ranked first and sixth best prospects in the Braves 3oth ranked farm system.
Atlanta has severely depleted their farm over the last several seasons, either through trade or promotion to the major league roster. It's not a bad problem to have, as it's definitely a good sign that you're scouting, drafting and developing well, but it's also left the 2021 world champions with little wiggle room in the trade department.
Luckily for the Braves this season, they're a powerhouse of a team this season, and maybe for the foreseeable future after locking down most of their roster for the next couple years. Ohtani would without question be a gamechanger but you also have to find out where you're placing him in the lineup. Granted, having Ohtani in your lineup would be a good problem to have, but that means someone is either hitting the bench or being a part of the Angels trade offer, if that would even be considered.
The Braves also would unlikely be able to re-sign Ohtani once he hit free agency. Even with the eighth highest payroll in the league (per Spotrac) the Braves, overall, aren't the biggest spenders, and general manager Alex Anthopoulos doesn't offer long-term, lucrative deals that Ohtani will most likely be seeking. So, at best, you're getting a two month rental. It would undoubtedly be exciting baseball to watch, and maybe even put the Braves over the top and making them world champions again for the second time in three years.
But what about the future? That's something you have to consider if you're Anthopoulos and the Braves front office. Sure, most of the Braves position players are secured for the future, but every team has to account for injuries throughout the season, and about every other unexpected occurrence that goes on in a season. The Braves need to consider their future, therefore not trading valuable prospects away for Ohtani — or any others for that matter — as they should concentrate on rebuilding what used to be the best farm system in the league just a few short seasons ago.
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