The San Diego Padres are reportedly a ‘threat' to sign Shohei Ohtani following the 2023 season, per the New York Post's Jon Heyman, via si.com's Noah Camras. However, Los Angeles Angels' star Mike Trout is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep Ohtani with the Halos.
Barring a Shohei Ohtani extension, the two-way phenom will enter free agency following the 2023 campaign. The Padres will be joined by teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and others in the Ohtani sweepstakes. Some teams have reportedly already attempted to acquire Ohtani via trade.
If the Angels endure another difficult season and are out of the playoff race in July, they may opt to trade Ohtani ahead of the trade deadline. The Angels would obviously love to keep Shohei Ohtani on the team for the foreseeable future. But the odds of him wanting to sign a long-term deal with them would lessen if the Angels don't show Ohtani they can win.
The Padres haven't been shy about spending money in free agency. They signed a number of stars, including Xander Bogaerts, this past offseason. Their loaded lineup already features Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, and Fernando Tatis Jr. Although, Machado and Soto's futures with San Diego are unclear from a long-term perspective.
The Padres will likely pursue Ohtani whether or not they can extend Machado and/or Soto, as it isn't often that a two-way superstar player becomes available in free agency.
San Diego will be a team to monitor moving forward.
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