As the trade deadline approaches, the San Francisco Giants are considered by many to be buyers at the deadline. They are two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the division lead and only a game ahead of the defending NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card race. This has let to speculation that the Giants could be the biggest buyers at the deadline and try to trade with the Los Angeles Angels for Shohei Ohtani.
According to BetOnline.com, San Francisco has the fifth-best odds to acquire Ohtani at the deadline. Ahead of them are the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, a team the Angel organization nor its fans want to see Ohtani go to. Ohtani, the biggest name in baseball and the favorite to win the American League MVP will likely leave the Angels in the offseason for a better chance to win a title. Currently, the two-way star is in the middle of a historic season on both sides of the field, hitting .306 with 35 home runs and 75 RBI. On the mound, he’s struck out 139 batters with a 1.12 WHIP in 105 innings pitched.
It was recently reported that the Angels have opened up to the idea of trading Ohtani in order to get value for him instead of just letting him walk come October. Many analysts around the game believe if he were to be traded, it would be the largest hall for a single player in baseball history.
In order to trade for Ohtani, the Giants would have to ship a lot of young talent. This would be a combination of the rookies who have sparked them this season including Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos and Casey Schmitt along with top minor league prospects Kyle Harrison and Marco Luciano. This is an advantage for the Giants, as they have the assets and talent to attract a deal with the Angels. Another positive for the Giants, if they were to trade for Ohtani, would be blocking the Dodgers from obtaining him at the deadline.