The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss:
- MLBTR’s list of the Top 50 Deadline Trade Candidates: Early July Edition (2:00)
- Angels have been sliding and recent lost Mike Trout to the IL. Could a Shohei Ohtani trade become more likely? (17:25)
- AL East getting tight between Rays and Orioles (20:35)
Plus, we answer your questions, including:
- With the Cardinals being sellers for the first time in 20 years, who do you anticipate to be moved? And what is realistic return with an eye on 2024 contention? (23:30)
- Who trades for Joey Bart? (26:00)
- Are the Yankees buyers or sellers? And what, if anything, do you see them doing in either position? (28:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- Free Agent Power Rankings and Aroldis Chapman to the Rangers – listen here
- The Angels Trade for Infielders, Indecisive NL Central Teams and Aaron Judge’s Toe – listen here
- Exciting Youth Movements in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh, Bad Central Divisions and the Dodgers Want Pitching – listen here
Bad business plan + never learning from past mistakes + general incompetence in team building/roster construction + some bad luck along the way = Los Angeles Anngels at Anaheim.
I’m a lifelong Angels fan and I can’t disagree with any of that unfortunately. Maybe rank the bad luck a little higher but I may be biased.
I felt like I had to address the poor luck they’ve encountered, but the better run teams(Atlanta/Houston/Dodgers) make their own luck. I grew up watching the Nolan Ryan Angels and couldn’t be more disappointed they couldn’t do more with the two best players in the game in Trout/Otani.
Don’t forget Tampa. What they’re able to do year after year in a highly competitive division is simply amazing. And I’m sure the Dodgers can thank them as well since they poached from the front office.
I should’ve definitely included Tampa in best run teams. It’s too bad this site doesn’t allow editing of comments.
app doesn’t but if you post through the site you can
Can’t remember what year it was, one in the first few years the Rays turned competitive. Before the season I was looking over their team, transactions and the previous year’s stats. I noticed that most of their great bullpen was gone and a new contingent was assembled. I blew them off that year based on that alone.
Many of the guys they didn’t retain got hurt, or were ineffective. The Rays bullpen stayed top flight.
Haven’t doubted them much since.
Angels fans know the Angel curse. It goes back to the 60s. So many things happened to the team through put the years. I’m sure the internet has some stories about it.
@Dennis, it didn’t get any better either after Reggie Jackson tried to shoot the Queen.
@jopeness…that was priceless!
The world was safer with Frank Drebin patrolling the streets
Am I imagining them getting a championship 20 years ago? Have they not had the best player in baseball for the past decade and the best 2 players the past half decade? Going back to the 80s when I fell in love with baseball I can remember the Angels always having an exciting player or two. They just seemed to be like the Mets . Always stuck as LA’s 2nd team. Players like Ohtani want to play there. So they have something going for them. If they could just figure out how to draft and get an owner that doesn’t try to be George Steinbrenner lite then they would be perennial challengers. A cursed team would be the Orioles. You know they will draft the second coming of Sandy Koufax and then will watch as he suffers injury after injury. Gausman, Bundy, and Harvey are just from the past decade. That has to be super frustrating as a fan. Even more frustrating is to get a HOF pitcher like Mussina and watch him leave for big bucks elsewhere. Happened with another TOR pitcher in the 90s too. Ugh name slips my memory at the moment. Or they happen to resign their superstar players and watch them fall off a cliff like Chris Davis. It has to suck to be an Orioles fan. You watch they have this exciting crop of young players right now and in 2-3 years they will have screwed it all up.
The Angels have an owner who cares more about selling an Ohtani jersey than winning a baseball game. He’s terrified to lose the Japanese market. Are you signing Shohei to win games or for the Japanese market?
From a baseball perspective, how long can Shohei keep this up? Are you willing to bet half-a-billion dollars on it? You’ll be signing him for ages 30-40. We’ve seen this movie before. It doesn’t end well.
I love Shohei as a player and applaud him for the unicorn that he is…but he’s not going to be a good baseball investment FOR WINS. Marketing? Yes. Wins? No. Too much money for one asset.
Main reason I wouldn’t want him is if he gets hurt you lose two of your best players on both sides of the ball.
Bad drafting has been the Angels kryptonite for the past decade. That and when they seem to actually get a decent team together on paper, injuries decimate them. They need to start with their front office and scouting departments and clean house. Poach some good scouts from other teams and then work on putting together the best strength and conditioning department in baseball. Sell their stars for exciting players that are 2-3 years away and then start over. Imagine what they could have gotten for Ohtani at last years deadline. It would have required at least a 3 team trade to get the Angels a proper return. Now it almost makes more sense to keep him because he gets fans to the stadium. A partial season of him will still bring back a top 3 prospect in all of baseball and another top 25 but is that enough for the dropoff in attendance they will surely get by trading him?
Please talk about Aaron Judge’s toe, every day, forever, thank you.
All toes are not created equal. >=}}
In Arabic countries they call it “camel toe”
How do you like your coffee, one hump or two?
Is his toe hurt?
They have to make a decision on Ohtani. I get that he is a fan favorite. Bogaerts was popular for the RS. Cano was popular for the NYY. Every team has a popular player that moves on.
I’d like to see the Angels extend Ohtani. But they need a realistic, gut-wrenching discussion on whether or not they can afford him. Come up with the number and present it to his agent. If they say no, thank him for his service and move on.
One of the things that fans under-estimate is that two ML-ready prospects, plus the $30M in available spending, will go a long way in covering his projected 9-10 WAR.
But imo, they have to absolutely extend him, or trade him.
I don’t think money is the issue here. Ohtani said he wants to play for a winner and that’s not happening yet again. I would wager they could offer him $60/year, LAD offer $50/year, and dodgers win out.
To me, it doesn’t matter. It’s like Betts with my RS. If you get the sense that a player is moving on, you have to make a move. Sitting on your hands is not an option.
Oh I’m with you 100%. They should trade him because otherwise Angels are getting a comp
Pick after they give him the QO. He’s not staying no matter how much they offer him (my strong assumption).
No one but Ohtani and his agent know what he’s going to do, or what his priority is. Plus, he can only sign with a team that makes him an offer, which eliminates about 20 of 30 teams that can’t/won’t afford him. Once he sees who offers, and how much, his perspective can easily change.
What about the Giants, Phillies and Mets?
I think I’d trade him to mitigate risk and balance payroll. Having a player who makes(50 Million) 25% of your payroll most likely won’t work in MLB; the Angels already have one HUGE contract in Trout and have struggled to surround him with complementary talent and pitching.
Then you have an oft-injured and ineffective third baseman who makes MORE than Trout.
Could have told you as a Nats fan: I don’t think Anthony Rendon actually likes playing baseball. As he left DC he talked about wanting “that beach bum kind of life.”
Well he is a bum. Halfway there.
Agreed, he’s made comments about not wanting to engage in the ASG, and he’s never really been a team guy. He got paid and then checked out.
Not happening
> Having a player who makes(50 Million)
> 25% of your payroll
He’s actually two players occupying 1 roster spot—a SP and an OF/DH.
Two 4-5 WAR players at $25MM/each? Still a deal. I think his single roster spot is a big deal, provided the team that has him adds someone of quality and not driftwood.
But if Ohtani goes down, you lose the bat and the arm but can only replace the one player.
> Ohtani goes down
Fair point, that’s a definite risk.
First, history has shown he is not always capable of being two players. Second, DH doesn’t provide the WAR of a fielding player. Third, he’s 29 now. How many years do you expect him to provide that 8-10 WAR? How many years do you expect him to want to be paid for that level whether he provides it or not?
1) players always have an injury risk. Maybe he needs a second TJ at some point? One cannot predict the future or base it solely on the past, esprcially considering Ohtani has been healthy otherwise.
2) Last three years WAR as a DH:
4.8
3.5
4.0 (halfway)
4-5 WAR is a reasonable expectation and why I picked it.
3) Not for me to decide. He will start to age like everyone else. Surplus value in early contract years, some negative value beginning later on. So it goes..
Ohtani for Cartaya, Miller and Pages.
The Dodgers would do better by waiting to sign as a free agent. I think they definately have the inside track over everyone. Ohtani is very unlikely to sign an extension.
Depends on what they feel a World Series is worth this year.
Going top heavy with so called superstars and then filling in the cracks with AAAA players sure hasn’t worked for the halos in the last 10+ yrs. How will it work better with Otani?…Trade him and get the best package you can get.
Of all the signings, the Rondon one was the worst. His market was dry, he was asking for too much, and they bit because of FOMO, which I feel is their strategy based on some of the signings they’ve made in the past.
10+ years lol.. wrong! 9 years. 😉
Albert Puhjols alone was 10 yrs and Puhjols is just one of many.
I thought of Pujols but his first 6 years weren’t bad and everyone knew the backend of that contract wouldn’t be good. I’m wondering if Rondon will have one good year.
The Angels puzzle me, several years running now.
They have a great offense overall, with two of the top players in the league Ohtani and Trout – kind of reminds me when the Orioles had Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken in the early-mid 80s. They’re 2nd in HR and BB, 5th in average, 4th in runs in OBP, 3rd in SLG and OPS. All better #’s across the board than the Orioles who stand at 54-35.
On the pitching side they come in overall a bit above average and that’s with a bonafide ace in Ohtani, 3 other roughly average starters, and a good bullpen. They are 11th in ERA but have an OPS+ of 101. That’s the same OPS+ as the Orioles, who are only 0.08 better overall in ERA due to their bullpen, because they only have 2 mid to back end rotation types with decent #’s and a hodgepodge.
Plus the Angels play in the AL West and the Orioles in the East which is easily the toughest division in baseball.
So how are the Angels at 45-46 and the Orioles 54-35? This is not a new phenomenon either, for several years the Angels’ record significantly lags behind what they have on the field.
The Orioles have those two guys which are pretty much automatic once you get to 8th with the lead, that’s a huge reason for their success. Angels closer has been very solid this year but I think their numbers are skewed because there are games where they go crazy on the offense like the Cardinals do….and then they get shut out the next two games. Frustrating team. I haven’t checked but I would venture to guess BAL record in 1-2 run games is top of the league.
Cards – true, Baltimore has the 8th and 9th innings covered when they have the lead, but what about the first 4-6 where really they have a poor rotation? Their offense has been above average so far and opportunistic more often than not – walking much more this year than last to get guys on base.
The Orioles are 14-9 in 1-run games which is very good and…you bring up a good point…10-2 in 2 run games which is incredible.
I agree that Ohtani is an ace but Tyler Wells has pitched more innings and has a lower ERA. Kyle Bradish’s era is much lower than any of the other Angels starters as well.
Perception v. reality is that the O’s have only back end arms. That may very well be true but Bradish and Wells have given us #2/3 starter production thus far. I think both of those guys, Bradish specifically is a very good #3.
It also helps when Cano and Bautista are on the back end. They don’t blow many leads.
ERA is a team associated stat, don’t compare 2 SPs with it.
Your ERA is very much associated with how good your team plays defense and also how good your relief pitching behind you is at stranding runners you leave on base.
I look at Bradish and I see him as a #3 in a good rotation from performance thus far (which is outlying very high versus his career). 16 starts, I’d say 8 were very good starts – 6+ innings, 2 or less runs. That’s about par for the course for a #3 on a good rotation. 4 bad starts of under 5 innings and/or getting lit up (one in April I believe was an injury pull) and the rest ‘meh’ starts. Other than the 27 innings he had in the minors last year nothing he’s done until this year has been worth writing home about. When he called up last year he was well below average over 100+ innings though I will say that was evened out by 3 very good starts toward the end of the year.
Wells? As a friend of mine said “how is he doing this?” He’s got to be the most unimpressive starter with a WHIP < 1 in a decade. He's only had 5 out of 17 starts be a partial inning so you can't hang too much on stranding runners (Scott had a good idea) but its got to be the defense. He seems to give up a lot of fly balls and his share of dingers, is it that his OF keeps running them down? His FIP is 1.5 above his ERA which alone suggests luck/regression
The Orioles currently have the best fielding team in the AL with just 36 errors and a .989 PCT. Only on pace for 65 errors which is even better than they did in the '70s.
It feels like the Angels offense is too top-heavy. As good as Ohtani & Trout are, they can be pitched around when needed.
That and the rotation has taken a huge step backwards. I liked their rotation pre-season, but almost everyone is having a worse year.
And their big addition, Anderson, has virtually never been a good pitcher. In the past five years, prior to 2022, he never had an ERA below 4.37 (albeit some of it with CO). He had one big year with the LAD, n his walk year, and the Angels decided he had found something at the age of 32.
The humor behind signing someone to the big bucks, based solely on the FA year, never fails to amuse me.
Speaking only for this year, it is what has happened recently, literally in the past few weeks with major injuries to key players and unreliable pitching (badly lacks consistancy) that has put the season in question. The stats that you posted are better than decent but don’t tell the full story. The roster when healthy and on the field is a playoff contender, even with inconsistant pitching. Three weeks ago trading Ohtani really wasn’t a topic of discussion but it is very real now and has to be taken seriously. Expecting career average minus war replacement players or unproven minor league talent to step up and fill the shoes of plus war players is unrealistic and that is where this years team sits at the moment. Nothing is impossible but short of our GM pulling off some magical trade(s) and some players playing above their typical standards, this team will miss the playoffs again this year.
Ohtani to the Dodgers for Michael Busch, Diego Cartaya and some lower level prospect. Who says no?
Angels get a lot more than if Ohtani walks. If he walks, they get a comp pick.
Dodgers get help now. Get a chance to extend him. They give up 2 top 100 prospects that are both blocked at the major league roster by Will Smith and Gavin Lux. They also keep their 1st round pick they could lose if they signed Ohtani as a free agent.
I don’t think the Angels would want Cartaya. He’s a very good prospect but they just acquired O’hoppe to be their C of the future. Matt Thaiss has played very well also.
I would imagine they’d be more interested in a pitcher or corner infielder to plug up org holes. If Ohtani is made available they shouldn’t have any issues getting what they want.
I like Cartaya, but they already have O’Hoppe. Both good prospects, but I wouldn’t want to double up at the catcher position.
But the matchup is perfect. Ohtani would make the LAD a strong favorite for 1st, plus the #2 overall, so it takes them out of the 1st round playoff. And MLB would love to see Ohtani pitching on the world’s biggest stage. They might have more Japanese fans viewing an Ohtani PO game than Americans.
Angels aren’t going for that Dodger offer.
The Angels actually have TWO top 100 prospects catchers. That’s a pretty good situation, really, but that probably does put Cartaya out.
The Angels will feel no compulsion to help the dodgers by taking prospects that are blocked but I at least you have an understanding how much Ohtani will cost even as a rental. Betts got two top 100 prospects sent to Boston so Ohtani will cost yet more.
Best player of all time?
Willie Mays
Best over a relatively short period of time, ~2 seasons? Quite possibly.
Best ever? In that case, being great over a long time matters.
His 2 highest WAR totals in a single season don’t even land him in the top 75 single season WAR leaders. Obviously he’s a generational talent, but let’s wait a bit before declaring him the GOAT.
For comparison, Babe Ruth has 182 career WAR, and a single season high of 14.1 WAR
Ohtani is at 37.6 career WAR and has a single season high of 9.6 WAR
I’m sure someone could explain (or already has done it) why the difference between Ruth and the replacement level player of his time is so vast, in comparison to modern day.
Which is to say I don’t believe Ruth was somehow better than someone like Ohtani, and that the level of competition has risen so much in 100 years. Obviously a stat like WAR is supposed to account for the level of competition, but something just feels missing in the entirety of the comparison.
Someone like Ohtani would likely put up Ruthian numbers in 1923, and I’m of course accounting for the lack of modern conditioning.
And I think it shows a weakness in WAR that Ohtani could put up 2022 numbers and not eclipse 10 WAR. Am I wrong for wondering if WAR simply doesn’t properly account for Ohtani essentially being two players in one?
@differentbears there have already been a few places saying that WAR is a good comparison for players in the same era, but not when comparing players between eras.
But yes, his argument talking about Ruth have a single season high of 14.1 and saying that is better than Ohtani’s 9.6 is obviously a little skewed. WAR was developed to calculate the replacement value of modern players compared to a minor league player… and obviously those minor league players are better than those of Ruth’s time.
In general, when comparing between eras, I think most say it’s better to use wRC+ and OPS+ when comparing hitters and then ERA+ and FIP- when comparing pitchers.
I think it’s also disingenuous to compare career WARs as well… that’s a little misleading. Sure, Ruth put up 183 WAR, but that was over 21 seasons. Ohtani has put his 36 WAR up over 6 seasons, one of which he couldn’t pitch and another shortened from the pandemic. Ruth still comes out ahead by the metrics in the end because he was a beast during his prime years, but it’s not as crazy different as he leads to believe, Ohtani is dang good, but he definitely needs to sustain that over time to officially compare to Ruth.
I think that is why there is always going to be the question of “would Ruth be as good in today’s game?” and the opposite of like “would Trout or Ohtani be as good by 1920’s standards and tech?”. Honestly, we will just never know. Just vastly different games both ways.
“Someone like Ohtani”, what does that even mean? Ohtani is who he is because of his genes, the environment he grew up in, the people who influenced him, the knowledge he had access to, the competition he played against, the skills he was taught (including how to prepare physically) and other factors. Trying to project Ohtani to 1923, even if you assume he had the same upbringing as Ruth, Ohtani might have ended up a farmer or a terrible baseball player (or better than Ruth). You just don’t know.
Ohtani to the Yankees for a lot.
Is there a house on that lot?
Angels need to move Ohtani to a team that feels they have a chance to sign him and get the advantage by trading for him now ahead of everyone else. Those teams I would assume can be Seattle, LAD, and NYM. Each of those teams have the prospects and/or rookies to make a deal happen.
Boston can be added to the list: they have climbed back into WC contention this year, a recent history of winning, PLENTY of money to spend (despite what ownership would have the fans believe), and several legitimate prospects to make the deal palatable to the Angels (Mayer, Rafaela, Walter). Ohtani could easily adopt the Ortiz method of banging shots off (or over) the Fenway monster, Big market, big money, big talent.
Nice Dream, now wake up and join us in the real world…..
Boston does seem like a dark horse but I agree with their chances of building a winning team in the near term. The one caveat is Yoshida. He’s a great player and I think there would be an unhealthy chemistry between the two Japanese stars if they worked together. Unhealthy for them of course means unhealthy for the team.
Boston is on the wrong side of the country, and although they may have the money, they are not willing to spend it. They worked hard to get below the threshold, and going back over for one player, even Ohtani, doesn’t make sense. Too many other needs that he doesn’t fill.
Otani realizes flights to Japan originate from most major hubs. What’s an extra couple of hours for a guy who likes to sleep in First Class?
LA to Tokyo is just over 11 hours. NY to LA is about 6 hours. That adds more than 50% to his flight time plus transfer time at LAX. That’s significant. He has said he wants to be on the west coast.
NY to Tokyo is only a couple of hours more because the flight path is totally different (goes over the top of the globe rather than around) Google it.
you’re right. 14 hours from ny to tokyo.
padam — First consider that Ohtani really wants to stay on the West Coast. That leaves 4 teams with money: Dodgers, Padres, Giants and Mariners. Cross off San Diego because they’re already over their dollar limit for years to come (unless they deal one of their superstars).
I’m not sure Seattle has the stomach for the kind of $500M+ contract Ohtani will get.
That leaves LA and SF. So many think the Dodgers will get him, but I wouldn’t be so sure.
@Pete I think you’re correct on the West coast thing, but I wouldn’t count out the Mariners. I originally wondered about them spending that kind of money, but I do think they could manage it… especially after seeing the creativity of the Julio deal. I think they would do it, but there would be something in it to save them a bit if there ends up being a case where Ohtani can’t either hit or pitch. I could see them maybe trying to unload the contracts of Ray and Marco, as that would still leave a rotation of Castillo, Ohtani, Gilbert, Kirby, and Miller with some others as backups.
I do agree that it comes down to the Mariners, Dodgers, and Giants though. And I think the Mets and Giants will probably offer the most money.
@pete – I agree the west coast is his preference and most likely the destination he winds up at, however he doesn’t control trades. The Mets have MLB players they could sway the Angels with (Alvarez, Baty, and soon Mauricio) along with the promise to Ohtani they will outbid anyone. Dodgers can do the same, and Seattle has the players and I think would do the contract due to the community. I left the Giants out due to the others having a stronger mlb list of kids playing.
Ohtani to SF for Harrison, Bart, Webb, Luciano, and number 1 picks until 2034
Maybe I am way off base here but why is it that ONLY the teams that can afford him in free agency (i.e. Mets, Dodgers, Giants, etc.) are connected to him via trade? If they have that much money, why not just wait until he hits free agency and save the prospects? For the Mets especially, who have a thin farm system and are struggling this season, and whose owner has publically stated that he’d rather spend money in free agency than throw away prospects, isn’t it be smarter to wait? Is this just media manipulation by the Angels in order to give them the widest trade market possible?
Why are the teams that CANT afford Ohtani in free agency but are overachieving this season and may have a shot at winning a WS while the big budget teams are having a down year (i.e. Reds, Orioles, Rays, etc.) not in play for trading Ohtani?
Bottom line, you basically have a once in a lifetime talent who you can aquire for a fraction of a season’s worth of pre free agency salary. (He’s making $30mil this year, so is that only $10mil for the rest of the season?). And if you’re a low budget team this is the ONLY chance you’ll have to get him. So why not go for it?
Bottom line is, Sean Casey is the Yankees’ hitting coach now.
Ohtani will be wearing Yankee pin-striped britches very soon.
In your dreams.
Some thoughts on Ohtani:
1.) Angels should absolutely trade him. No way you can let him walk and get nothing except a comp pick. If they are worried about the PR behind it… that’s easy. Pitch it as “we are below .500 now, so we are looking to get a prospect haul back to secure our future and then pursue a long-term contract with him in the off-season”. Basically, what the Yankees did with Chapman when they traded him to the Cubs. Ohtani has been there his entire career… he already knows what they’re about. If he’s going back, he probably knows that already. If PR is the issue… maybe think about how having the AL MVP on your team that finished below .500 looks?
2.) I think the team that trades for him now is going to be one that CANNOT afford him long-term or think they have a lesser chance… teams like the Rays, Orioles, Reds,
and Twins that have a ton of prospects and are good at developing them. Teams that feel they have a lesser chance of signing him that might be in would probably include like the Giants or Yankees, where they might want to bring him in beforehand to give them a feel of what it might be like to play there (Giants to never be able to sign anyone and Ohtani already snubbed the Yankees from a meeting the first time).
3.) The other “big” contenders probably feel they can just wait. I could maybe see the Mariners jumping in if the Angels would take a package of guys not in the MLB (Hancock, DeLoach, etc)… otherwise, they have a young core and could just wait half a year. Only reason I see them trading for them is because of the fact that they’ve never won a WS, so if they’re close, they might go all-in. Others can wait, like the Dodgers. Mets already have Diaz out, so they could wait until the off-season and offer him a huge contract to go for it in 2024.
4.) Call me bias as a Mariners fan if you want, but I think the off-season favorites for him are going to be the Dodgers, Mariners, Giants, and Padres with the Giants and Mets offering the most money overall. Because of the Japanese influence and based on his initial 7 teams that he chose to meet with (Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mariners, Padres, and Rangers), I think he is staying on the West Coast. Dodgers and Giants will probably both offer a ton of money, and I think Seattle is going to come in with a creative offer based around pitching and hitting (like Julio’s deal, but obviously geared around games pitched and plate appearances). And, I think Seattle could end up being the favorite. He would be the superstar of that team while also being surrounded by young talent in Julio, Kirby, Gilbert, , Miller, Kelenic, and Raleigh. Either way, it should be a fun off-season.
If Otani joins the Mariners, I might just have to quit watching MLB.
Haha why would that make you quit watching?
Seattle has become the armpit of the US. Plus, I recall a bench-clearing brawl from a couple years ago where Mariners lashed out at the opposing players with bloodlust. It was evil to witness. Management dumped one of the antagonists (Winker) after that season. I regretted that he got snapped up by the Brewers; one of the teams I love watching. Winker aside, more evil lurks on the Mariner bench.
None of that makes any sense…
1. “Seattle has become the armpit of the US”… doesn’t make sense. Seattle is a great city that also just hosted the All-Star game this year.
2. “a bench-clearing brawl… Mariners lashed out at the opposing players with bloodlust”…. also, makes zero sense. The Mariners threw one up and in on Trout and didn’t hit him the game prior. Angels retaliated by announcing an “opener” for the next game, who then immediately threw over Julio’s head and then hit Winker. Winker charged the mound because it should have been over after Julio. That was ALL on the Angels, and the Mariners went on a 14 game winning streak after that. Winker was traded because he couldn’t hit, but that streak was the result of that brawl. Honestly, I hated that trade from the Mariners side. I would much rather have Winker and Toro instead of Wong.
Small market teams likely don’t have that extra $10MM floating around. Nor can they afford to trade the future for one shot, like the larger market Cubs did with Chapman.
I mean, at the start of the season, maybe not. But I’m sure teams like the Reds or the Rays are going to be getting a boost in attendance at this point, and it could be argued that adding someone like Ohtani to one of those teams would likely pay for itself in that sense… especially if it means playoff games for those teams. the Reds, Orioles, Rays, and DBacks are all playoff teams at the moment.
Also, just some stuff to add to the idea of why I think Ohtani ends up in Seattle. He was asked about a couple of things after the All-Star Game in Seattle. Some highlights:
1. On the fans chanting “Come to Seattle” when he was at bat…. Ohtani said “Never experienced anything like that, but I definitely heard it.”
2. On the city…. Ohtani said “Every time I come here, the fans are passionate. I’ve actually spent a couple of off-seasons in Seattle. I like the city, it’s good.”
If Ohtani ever hopes of attaining the stratospheric heights of a .302 batting average, then there is only one destination.
Shohei, meet your Mr. Miyagi……Sean Casey.
The Phils will try their best to find a starter that brings reliability. They will seek a good corner outfielder that is right handed and has certain power. This ,nothing new. What is new is that they will consider offering Aaron Nola if they can get both needs in return. Look for them to find the best reliever available to replace two of their own relievers that have been on and off the IL list all year. What is puzzling is that Scott Kingery is not called up to replace Josh Harrison. Kingery is consistent now and better than any infielder on Iron Pigs roster plus he plays outfield positions to give Topper more choices.
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