Am I crazy? Maybe.
But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and what I behold is that there is a real possibility Arizona could trade for the ultimate unicorn in Americas past time.
If you don’t already know, this man (Shohei Ohtani) can do everything well on a baseball field.
He’s currently the most dangerous hitter (1st in OPS). Out of any starting pitcher in the bigs, it is hardest to record a hit off Ohtani (.192 batting average against); to add the cherry on top, he has 11 stolen bases.
In my eyes, because of his elite ability both in the box and on the mound, he is the most valuable player to ever lace up the cleats. Am I crazy? Once again, maybe.
Since this man is currently the best in baseball, it would take a semi-trailer-sized haul to acquire him. Good thing the Diamondbacks farm system is overflowing with talent. Plenty of intriguing prospects for the Angels to trade for…
Why trading for Ohtani make sense for the Diamondbacks
This trade would actually make a lot of sense for both squads.
In the Angels case, they are currently 2 games under .500, 4th in their division, and 6.0 games back of a wild card spot. If their team was a car they would be stuck in neutral; not going anywhere anytime soon.
To be completely honest, the Angels probably just need to blow it all up and start over. Yes, they have the two best players in the game, but one can’t stay healthy (Mike Trout) and the other one seemingly doesn’t want to be there (Shohei Ohtani).
We have seen a number of teams as of late tear it all down and succeed. The Orioles had a fire sale starting in 2018 with Manny Machado and are now 57-35 with a system full of young talent. The Reds are heading in the same direction after trading star pitchers like Luis Castillo and Sonny Gray in 2022.
Trading big-name guys like Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout might be difficult to swallow for LA fans at first. But in the long run, it might bring more overall success.
For the Diamondbacks, the time is now. This team (that is 10 games above .500) is way too talented to not make the postseason. Acquiring a guy like Ohtani would instantly make this team a World Series favorite.
Let’s think about it. When it comes to starting pitching the Diamondbacks rank 21st in the MLB in ERA. In the same category, they rank 22nd in batting average against, and 19th in strikeouts.
It’s no secret, outside of Gallen and Kelly, this team's starting pitching stinks.
Ohtani owns a 7-5 record with a 3.50 ERA. In 18 starts, he has gone (at least) 6 innings 13 times. Having an arm like Shohei’s would be an instant upgrade to this rotation and would provide some relief for the bullpen.
Speaking of Gallen and Kelly, could you imagine having to face Gallen, Ohtani, and Kelly in a best 3 out of 5 playoff series? With a potent Arizona lineup on top of that? Good luck.
This Arizona lineup is already elite but adding Ohtani to it would catapult it into a top 3 offense.
From a hitting standpoint, Ohtani is 1st in the MLB in home runs, extra-base hits, slugging percentage, and OPS. He is also tied for 3rd in RBIs.
Imagine adding the most dangerous hitter in the league to a lineup that already has Corbin Carroll (9th in OPS), Christian Walker (7th in XBH), and Ketel Marte (.361 OBP).
It might be enough to match the powerhouse offense the Atlanta Braves possess.
As I said above, the asking price for Ohtani is going to be astronomical. Here is what I propose…