Seattle’s chances on the Shohei Sweepstakes: A tracker of where Ohtani may land this offseason/before the deadline
By Charles Hamaker
Seattle, WA – Shohei Ohtani, arguably the best player in all of baseball in terms of talent and the lone reason why the Los Angeles Angels are anywhere near competitive since Mike Trout went down with an injury, will be a free agent at the end of this season. While the possibility remains that Ohtani could be traded during the current season, it would require a boat load of prospects and potentially some current players for the Angels to ship him off. And the possibility of a trade may be shrinking considering that Los Angeles has been winning since the All-Star break. Regardless, it’s highly unlikely that he wears an Angels uniform after this season and will be looking for a new home. The Mariners have been in a position before the acquire the Japanese sensation and should spare no expense to get him in Mariners colors.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani during the June 18th, 2022 battle against the Seattle Mariners (Photos by Liv Lyons)
Seattle’s case for Shohei
Obviously, the “COME TO SEATTLE” chants by Mariners fans during the All-Star game certainly entice a lot of people and puts the idea into the mind of what it would be like to see the history making superstar representing the Pacific Northwest as Seattle looks to take advantage of the current competitive window. A few things need to come into play for this to even get close to becoming reality, as Ohtani has stated that he wants to be part of a winning team while still getting the sort of payday that only he can really garner due to his ability pitching and hitting. While the Mariners have seemed unwillingly to spend money on big name free agents often in their general existence as a franchise, some wondered if the lack of spending this past offseason may have been the team waiting for this upcoming free agency to afford Ohtani.
Regardless of if that sort of thing is true or not, Seattle must do their best to try and bring Shohei in. Ohtani has already toured this ballpark before and has stated that he’s spent a few off-seasons here in Seattle. What reasons are there that stand in the way of him making this his full-time home outside of the team failing to open up the checkbook? The Mariners have several proven talents on their roster with young players that should only get better and haven’t had a losing season (excluding the odd COVID year of 2020) since 2019. While Ohtani has shot down any potential trade talks when asked by media, he did allow that his feelings about the importance of playing for a World Series-caliber team “get stronger every year.” So, while still struggling to be consistent this season, the Mariners have more talent on their roster than the Angels do and an arguably better future ahead considering the young players they have at the big-league level and making their way through the farm system.
Shohei Ohtani during the 2023 MLB All-Star game (Photos by Mathew Bermudez)
Updates, starting at the All-Star game
July 10th: All-Star media day, morning of Home Run Derby
During All-Star media day availability, taking place on the warning track of T-Mobile Park, Ohtani gets a few questions regarding his hopes and or plans for the current offseason and several beat reporters for potential teams ask him something related to that. Ohtani remains quiet on the situation itself, trying to keep the focus locked on his current season with the Angels. He does throw a bone to the city of Seattle, saying it’s a “nice” and “clean” city while admitting that he has spent considerable time here during two off-season's. But he still largely keeps quiet regarding the situation and doesn’t give much of any information regarding where he may want to go or if he’s unhappy with his current situation.
July 16th
Padres likely out on Ohtani, as San Diego general manager AJ Preller indicates that the team is unlikely to take a swing for the superstar before this year's trade deadline. Rather than making major improvements to the roster, Preller indicated that the Padres are trying to “improve the edges” of their team rather than pursuing another superstar. They’ll “do their homework” on Ohtani but are highly unlikely to actually pursue him.
The Rays are considered a “wild card” team to watch on Shohei. While the Yankees will reportedly be the most motivated to make a deal for Ohtani, and the Dodgers have both the motivation and young talent to try and get him, Tampa Bay is reportedly a spot to watch out for. While Tampa Bay is unlikely to get Ohtani as just a rental or really even try and mortgage their future for him, Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander didn’t rule out a potential push for Ohtani when he appeared on MLB Network Radio on Sunday, noting that the team has the prospect capital and the support from ownership to make a big Deadline splash.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani during the Seattle Mariners loss to the Angels on April 5th, 2023 (Photos by Liz Wolter)
July 17th
After the Padres were marked out of the running for Shohei, reports say that the Dodgers also will be taken out of the potential trade sweepstakes so that Shohei will not stay in California.
July 19th
According to an MLB executive, the sort of trade package that it would take to acquire Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Angels could be in the range of what the Padres gave up to get Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Nationals last summer. In order for San Diego to reel in Ohtani, they had to give up two of their top-100 prospects (CJ Abrams, Mackenzie Gore) and other prospects James Wood, Robert Hassell III and Jarlin Susana, as well as veteran first baseman Luke Voit.
What may be different in that detail from this one hypothetically for Ohtani, is that Soto had more than two years of club control on his contract left when he was traded by the Nationals. Ohtani doesn’t have that, and some teams may not be willing to pay a hefty price if they know that they can’t retain him for a long term deal.
July 20th
The Angels are reportedly in “listening mode” when it comes to Ohtani, and while that might not mean anything as some front offices will always listen to calls, it is interesting considering just how big a potential move could be. Los Angeles’ motivation to try and move Shohei will depend entirely on their ability to win ballgames, and so far, they've been doing just that. A report states that the Angels will wait until the last 24-48 hours heading into that August 1st deadline to decide on whether they will attempt to move him.
“I was talking to an executive last night who said, 'There's a feeling around the league that [Angels owner] Arte Moreno is looking for a reason not to trade Shohei Ohtani. We've been hearing about this forever, that the team is a little hesitant about it [because of] what he means to the franchise, on the field, off the field, at the box office, et cetera,” Mark Feisand, MLB.Com writer.
July 22nd
Ohtani is trying to remain locked in on the current season when asked about the impending August 1st, 3PM PST trade deadline. He had just been coming off a win on the mound although struggled as he allowed four homers and five runs across 6.1 innings pitched. With the days ahead of the deadline ticking down, a big move during the season becomes less and less likely as the Angels have been winning since the All-Star break. Shohei said he hasn’t had any recent meetings with the front office about a potential extension and also hasn’t been officially assured that he won’t be traded.
July 24th
Apparently, despite their winning ways since the trade deadline, the Angels are keeping the phones on when it comes to a potential Ohtani trade. They’ve gone 6-2 over the course of their past eight games, but discussions are still taking place with other teams that are interested in trying to acquire the Japanese superstar. Per MLB.Com’s Buster Olney, there’s a specific reason why Los Angeles may be looking to move Ohtani despite their winning ways since the All-Star break.
While the Angels are currently within four games of an AL Wild Card spot, there is an ownership source saying that the team’s standing in the postseason race might not even be the deciding factor in whether or not Ohtani is traded, interestingly enough.
"I think it comes down to whether [Angels owner] Arte [Moreno] believes he has a chance to keep Ohtani [in free agency]”, the official said. "If he thinks he has any shot at it, I think he won't trade him, to keep the door open."
If Moreno does decide to trade Ohtani for that reason and shock the world, it is believed that he would look to steer him toward a team that isn't in direct competition with the Angels, making a deal with clubs such as the regional-rival Dodgers and the AL West-rival Rangers unlikely, per Olney’s reporting.
In addition to this information, it’s being reported that the Angels are hearing from the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks on Shohei, but that those calls are reportedly just those teams doing their “due diligence.” Both of those franchises have the sort of young talent that would be needed to make a trade for Ohtani possible.
