Padres Rumors: Writer Wants to See Friars Go All-In With Trade for Angels Superstar Shohei Ohtani
Your San Diego Padres finally got to see all of their stars suit up alongside one another last week in a match against the Milwaukee Brewers. Fernando Tatis Jr. is finally finding his footing again as he returns from a long absence from the franchise and the Friars have made sure to heavily improve the roster during that time.
The additions of Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts along with Manny Machado being locked down to an 11-year extension, the Padres have skyrocketed to the top every insiders' 2023 World Series projections. Team owner Peter Seidler has been digging deep into his pockets to compile this roster and all signs point to him making a run for Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani is widely regarded as the best player in baseball and he is only proving this further with his recent performances in the WBC. If the Padres are able to pull off this signing, it would set them up for clear contention and dominance for many years to come.
However, it appears that Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer believes they should just pull the trigger and bring him in right now. In his latest trade wishlist for the 2023 season, he lists the Padres making a move for Ohtani at number one.
"The sooner the Padres move on Ohtani, the sooner he might slide in alongside Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. to form a quintet that would have even the 1927 Yankees feeling shown up. If they had been teammates in, say, 2021, they would have combined for a 144 wRC+, 168 home runs and 77 stolen bases."
(Via Bleacher Report)
Rymer's main argument for this is that the Friars could already get Ohtani accustomed to their culture and give themselves a better chance to keep him long-term. He is definitely going to get a historic contract and if anybody will grant him it, do not sleep on San Diego.
