Angels Rumors: MLB Writer Pitches Shohei Ohtani Trade to Division Rival

One writer suggests a trade of Shohei Ohtani from the Angels to the Rangers could be a win-win for both teams, but it seems quite unlikely.

The offseason is a time to create the identity of your team for the following season, whether that's through free agency, trades, or standing pat. On the subject of trade, Will Laws at SI.com wrote an article about "win-win trades" contending teams could make to bolster their teams.

Unfortunately, in the trade that mentioned the Angels, they weren't the contenders. They were the other team, the one a "contender" was pillaging to improve their own chances. And it wasn't just any trade he suggested. It was a trade of the Halos' most marketable player, possibly their best player. Oh, and to a team within their division.

Halos say so long to Shohei

Rangers acquire RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani
Angels acquire RHP Jack Leiter, 3B Josh Jung, C/DH Mitch Garver

The Rangers are clearly going for it in 2023. You don’t sign the best pitcher in baseball after signing two elite shortstops the previous offseason, firing your longtime general manager in the middle of a disappointing season and bringing a future Hall of Fame manager out of retirement to just waste a year in the middle ground. But Texas still needs at least one more frontline starter and is currently projected to start journeyman Brad Miller at the DH spot. Ohtani would be the proverbial multi-bird-killing stone here.

Let's start with the obvious: There's no way this offer would get things done from the Rangers' side of things. Texas has six top-100 prospects; they're not going to get Shohei Ohtani for two of them and a catcher who's never had 400 plate appearances in a season.

The Angels have said they're not trading Ohtani, and if they change course on that, they'll make it known and have a bidding war. It might even take a little more to trade him to the Rangers, simply because the teams play in the same division. But even without the AL West premium, it would take a lot more than this to get him.

All of which explains part of why these types of trades don't happen very often. If you give up the farm for one guy and that guy leaves after one year, or even worse, gets hurt, it can cripple you for a long time. Ohtani is worth more than any team will likely give up for him. It's a real Catch 17.