Mets Reportedly Could Land Angels Superstar Shohei Ohtani In Potential Blockbuster

Could the Mets actually trade for Ohtani?

The New York Mets may not be having the season they hoped for, but that doesn't mean things can't turn around.

New York currently is in fourth place in the National League East with a 45-50 record and is seven games out of the final National League Wild Card spot. Although this is the case, the Mets are loaded with talent and realistically could turn things around and go on a winning streak and make up some ground. 

Another avenue that could help the Mets is the upcoming trade deadline. New York seemingly is too expensive to become a seller at the deadline, so it wouldn't be too surprising if the club decided to add some pieces. The biggest name -- potentially ever -- who could end up being traded at the deadline is Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani. 

Ohtani has long been rumored to be a potential option for the Mets this upcoming offseason in free agency, and it sounds like New York could get involved even earlier. While nothing is set in stone, the Mets have a solid farm system and could meet the potential asking price of the Angels if the club decided to trade the star. ESPN's Eric Karabell attempted to put together a hypothetical blockbuster trade proposal that could get a deal done for the Mets. 

"Proposed deal: SS Ronny Mauricio, 3B Mark Vientos, C Kevin Parada, RHP Mike Vasil," Karabell said. "You think owner Steve Cohen believes his team is too far out of contention? C'mon. DH Daniel Vogelback and rotation filler David Peterson aren't exactly All-Stars, and half of this team is over 34 years old. The Mets have no interest in melding these top prospects to the big club, and each is blocked. Ohtani can join former teammate Kodai Senga and see what it's like in the top media market. Oh, and which team can spend the most money this winter? Yep."

While this deal is a hypothetical proposal, it goes to show that there's a possibility a deal actually could happen. Los Angeles has softened its stance on the chance of dealing Ohtani and if the club's struggles continue over the next week potentially could trade the star. New York likely will be the team that offers Ohtani the biggest contract in free agency, potentially even topping $600 million. If they are planning to offer Ohtani such a massive deal already, why not add him a little earlier?