Giants not among Baseball America’s top five contenders Ohtani originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Shohei Ohtani is the talk of the town ahead of the August 1, 2023 MLB trade deadline.
The Giants have been one of many teams speculated to be a potential suitor for the two-way Los Angeles Angels phenom, but Baseball America is planning otherwise.
Trading for the Japanese superstar won’t come cheap, and only some teams actually have the package of young big leaguers and top prospects to meet Los Angeles’ asking price. Baseball America does not believe the Giants are one of those teams.
Here are the top five teams in Baseball America with the highest odds of landing Ohtani:
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Los Angeles Dodgers
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Baltimore Orioles
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Texas Rangers
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Philadelphia Phillies
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Cincinnati Reds
In addition to the Giants not making the cut, their biggest rivals take the top spot on the list.
“The Dodgers have the deepest farm system in baseball and can meet any demand,” the article read. “They have six Top 100 prospects in RHP Bobby Miller, RHP Emmet Sheehan, C Dalton Rushing, RHP Gavin Stone, C Diego Cartaya and 2B Michael Busch and have the best collection of pitching prospects in baseball. HPs Maddux Brun s, Justin Wrobleski and Ronan Kopp at High-A and RHPs Peter Heubeck and Payton Martin at Low-A, the Dodgers are full of young arms.
“2B Miguel Vargas struggled in his early days but still plans to be a long-term impact hitter, and OFs Andy Pages (currently recovering from shoulder surgery) and Josue De Paula further add to the depth of the Dodgers playing position. competitor in the market, but from a pure talent standpoint, the Dodgers have the most to offer of any team.”
While San Francisco failed to make the top five, the Giants were included in the conversation anyway.
The Giants “sneak into the Ohtani draw” if other teams don’t come up with their best offers, the report says, including young players like Luis Matos, Kyle Harrison and Carson Whisenhunt in a potential package.
Accompanying teams among the “others” are the Tampa Bay Rays, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Baseball America isn’t alone in the skepticism surrounding San Francisco’s ability to land Ohtani via trade. Former Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden doesn’t think the Giants can put together an adequate package for the 29-year-old – but there’s still free agency.
“They’d love to land Ohtani in free agency this winter, but if he becomes available via trade, I wonder if they’d be willing to unload their farm system or even have enough to compete with the other teams pushing for him,” Bowden wrote, in his latest column for The Athletic, adding a trade for Ohtani a “long shot.”
“The Giants have been working to build their system, and tearing it all down for a hire doesn’t seem like something President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi would be willing to do,” Bowden wrote. “Instead, I see their best shot in Ohtani being in free agency.”
Nonetheless, the Giants should make a run for the American League MVP favorite, either through a trade or in free agency.
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