The New York Yankees still have one of the best records in MLB this season, but it has been obvious they are not ready to compete for a World Series crown.

Aaron Judge has been out for a long period, and the franchise relies heavily on the production he brings to the table. Starting pitchers like Nestor Cortes Jr. and Carlos Rodon are also injured, which has limited the Yankees'  opportunity to rise up the American League standings.

All those absences coupled with the struggles of stars like Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson have been a tough pill to swallow, so look for New York to be very active leading up to the 2023 MLB trade deadline. Shohei Ohtani is the best player and biggest name in baseball today, and there is a plausible chance he can be available before August 1st.

The Los Angeles Angels are finally competing for a playoff spot this time around, though, so they may give it one last shot with Ohtani before trying to convince him to stay with the organization in free agency. Losing Ohtani for nothing after this season would be disastrous, so they must consider pondering New York's best trade offer for the Japanese superstar.

Yankees' perfect Shohei Ohtani trade

Yankees receive: Shohei Ohtani

Angels receive: Everson Pereira, Elijah Dunham, Will Warren

If the Angels decide they do not have a chance to sign Ohtani long term, they must complete this trade with the Yankees right away.

Los Angeles will acquire three excellent prospects who have bright futures with the Angels. Some may believe the package is still lacking star power, so a young pitcher like Clarke Schmidt can be included in the deal as well.

It is paramount for New York not to include top farm prospect Jasson Dominguez in the deal, as he will likely play a vital role for the team at some point in 2024 and beyond. Moreover, the Yankees must realize that Ohtani could just be a rental if he decides to sign somewhere else when his contract is done after the season. They should be aggressive going after Ohtani, but general manager Brian Cashman needs to exercise some caution, too, especially after some of his previous moves that went haywire.

The Yankees do have an outstanding starting rotation, but the problem has been their durability. Domingo German pitched a perfect game a couple of days ago, and he can possibly be the fifth starter if everyone is healthy. Ohtani's addition to the rotation may seem unnecessary, but it has been evident the Yankees need more reliable postseason options beyond ace Gerrit Cole.

Ohtani will bring his magnificent power to a New York batting order that is in dire need of any sort of production. They have been banking on old reliables who are past the best years of their career, so Ohtani will be a massive boost in the heart of that Yankees order. If Ohtani goes to the Bronx, Giancarlo Stanton will likely need to surrender his DH spot, so Stanton must be ready to start in left field.

For the return package from the Yankees, it is not too steep because the best prospect they will give is No. 4 Everson Pereira. As the centerpiece of the deal, he has the potential to have an elite arm and hit 20 homers in the majors. Elijah Dunham will give the Angels more consistent depth at the outfield position, while Will Warren is a decent arm from the bullpen.

Ohtani could be the Yankees' piece to lose, and they should not let him get away before the deadline.