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The 2023 MLB season has reached its unofficial midway point with the All-Star break currently upon us. While there have been many standout performances throughout the league, it's clear that Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani is once again taking the league by storm. And with the trade deadline approaching, it's fair to wonder whether Ohtani could be set to find a new home shortly.
Ohtani is tearing the cover off the ball at the plate (.302 BA, 32 HR, 71 RBIs, 11 SB, 1.050 OPS) while also remaining one of the most dominant pitchers in the league (7-4, 3.32 ERA, 132 K's, 1.10 WHIP) at the same time. With the Angels dealing with a handful of injuries and falling out of contention in the American League wildcard race and Ohtani set for free agency after this season, they could finally look to move on from the two-way phenom.
One team that has always been linked to Ohtani is the Boston Red Sox. The Sox, much like pretty much every MLB team, were interested in Ohtani when he initially jumped from Japan to the MLB and have been viewed as a team with enough assets and financial power to make a blockbuster move for Ohtani. So with that in mind, let's take a look at the perfect trade that could convince the Angels to deal Ohtani to the Red Sox.
Red Sox receive: P/DH Shohei Ohtani
Angels receive: SS Marcelo Mayer, SP Brayan Bello, OF/SS Ceddanne Rafaela, 1B Triston Casas
This is a massive trade package from the Sox, and it may not even be enough to land Shohei Ohtani in this case. However, there are indications that the Angels may be warming up to the idea of trading Ohtani with the threat of him leaving in free agency looming. So maybe their asking price gets lowered a bit, making this a feasible trade package.
Trading for Ohtani would be a massive risk for Boston, as it would require gutting their farm system of their best young players, and then they would have to worry about extending Ohtani before he hits free agency. However, Ohtani is a generational talent, and if the front office feels strongly about adding him to their roster, they should try to make a move.
Giving up a trade package featuring Marcelo Mayer, Brayan Bello, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Triston Casas would be a major investment for the Sox. For any other player, this would be way too much, but Ohtani is entering the peak of his career, and is a perennial MVP and Cy Young candidate morphed into one player.
The prized player in this deal for the Angels would be Mayer. The talented shortstop is the fourth-best prospect in the entire majors per mlb.com, and he has the potential to be a five-tool star at shortstop if he can make it to the majors. Mayer has struggled a bit since getting promoted to Double-A for the Sox, but his numbers on the season as a whole (.249 BA, 13 HRs, 52 RBIs, .793 OPS) show that he has a ton of upside.
The other big name prospect in this deal is Rafaela, who has had a meteoric rise up Boston's farm system over the past few years. The Red Sox recently promoted Rafaela to Triple-A, and his numbers on the season (.289 BA, 10 HRs, 44 RBIs, 31 SBs, .792 OPS) indicate he could end up making it to the majors at some point later this summer.
Beyond these two prospects, Bello and Casas offer the Angels major-league-ready talent that they can immediately insert into their lineup. Bello has been the Red Sox's best starting pitcher this season (6-5, 3.04 ERA, 70 K's, 1.19 WHIP) and appears to be an ace in the making, while Casas has remained a productive first baseman for the Sox (.225 BA, 9 HR, 27 RBIs, .727 OPS) despite an extremely slow start to the season.
This is a massive package from Boston, and yet, you can't help but feel that this might not be enough for Los Angeles and that this might not even be a deal that the Red Sox would consider offering. Chaim Bloom has delicately worked on revamping their farm system during his time running the team's front office. Would he blow it all up on a deal for Ohtani where he realistically may not even re-sign with the team over the upcoming offseason?
Ohtani wants to make a boatload of money and play for a contending team, which makes his departure from the Angels, whether it be through trade or leaving in free agency, seem inevitable. The Sox have a solid 48-43 record at the break, but it doesn't seem like they are a true World Series contender. They could pursue Ohtani, but the timing just doesn't feel totally right.
However, the pressure is on Bloom to be aggressive and turn Boston into a winner after he came in and immediately blew up their 2018 World Series squad. Trading for Shohei Ohtani would immediately improve his public standing among Red Sox fans. And if he wants to get a deal done, this trade package could be what it takes to get the Angels to bite.
