The Los Angeles Angels will have a difficult decision to make when it comes to trading Shohei Ohtani. They are expected to make a final decision close to the August 1st MLB trade deadline. Although the Angels reportedly will not deal Ohtani to their cross-town rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Dodgers may be able to offer the best trade package. ESPN revealed a hypothetical Ohtani Dodgers-Angels trade, and today we are going to grade it.

ESPN's Dodgers-Angels Shohei Ohtani hypothetical trade

Here's how ESPN's mock Ohtani trade between these two Southern California ball clubs looks:

Angels receive: OF Josue De Paula, RHP Nick Nastrini, RHP Ryan Pepiot, C Dalton Rushing, RHP Emmet Sheehan, RHP Gavin Stone

Dodgers receive: RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani

Pepiot, Sheehan, and Stone standout. Sheehan and Stone both have MLB experience while Pepiot is expected to join the MLB club after returning from injury. All three arms feature high-ceilings and would bolster an Angels pitching staff that could use rotation help for years to come.

Nastrini, the other pitcher involved in the hypothetical trade, is intriguing as well. He'd be the X-Factor of this deal.

Offensively, the Angels receive De Paula and Rushing. Rushing is a talented catcher while De Paula would benefit the Angels' outfield depth. Both players could emerge as reliable options down the road.

It is interesting that none of the Dodgers' top three overall prospects, RHP Bobby Miller, C Diego Cartaya, or INF Michael Busch, are included. This is likely a result of the fact that the Dodgers would only have Ohtani for a few months before free agency, barring a contract extension.

Ohtani's fit in Los Angeles also raises some question marks. He'd bolster a Dodgers' pitching staff that's been hampered by injuries. However, JD Martinez is currently LA's DH. The Dodgers would obviously prefer Ohtani over Martinez despite JD's strong 2023 season. Martinez would likely need to move to the outfield as a result.

Grading the trade

In our Dodgers-Angels hypothetical trade, we also had a catcher heading to Anaheim. However, Cartaya led our trade package. Yes, giving up a prospect like Cartaya for just a couple months of Ohtani is risky, but the Dodgers would get a jumpstart on contract extension negotiations. It also may be the only way to convince the Angels to trade Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers.

It's difficult to imagine the Angels agreeing to ESPN's hypothetical trade. Yes, the trade package itself isn't bad, but the Halos do not want to deal the two-way phenom to the Dodgers. The Dodgers would need to overpay in order to acquire him.

But, as mentioned, the package itself isn't terrible by any means. The Angels receive four young talented pitchers that would impact their rotation for the future. Rushing isn't necessarily a better option than Angels' current top catching prospect Logan O'Hoppe though. De Paula is a decent addition to the deal in the end.

The Angels and Dodgers probably will not be able to work out a deal given the Halos' reluctance. But this is an interesting idea. Perhaps the Angels will at least listen to a Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani trade offer if the superstar is made available ahead of the deadline. After all, the Dodgers feature a top-tier farm system.

ESPN's Dodgers-Angels hypothetical Shohei Ohtani trade final grade: B-