Japanese baseball prodigy Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels) is a hot commodity in this year’s Major League Baseball trade market.
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is Aug. 2. In recent days, major league.com, Sports Illustrated, ESPN, and other local U.S. sports media outlets have been reporting on the possibility of trading Ohtani. As of the 21st, the Angels are in third place in the American League West (49-48) and their chances of making it to fall baseball are dwindling, which means that Ohtani could be traded.카지노사이트
Ohtani’s recent trade speculation has been fueled by the fact that he is eligible for free agency after this season. Ohtani is one of the most marketable stars in the major leagues. Through 21, he has played in 95 games as a designated hitter, batting .306 with 35 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 71 runs scored. That’s a stellar performance, ranking in the top five in the American League in every hitting metric this year. On the mound, Ohtani is 7-5 with a 3.50 ERA in 18 games and 105.1 innings pitched. If Ohtani were to switch teams, it would be a game-changer in and of itself. The Angels are unlikely to keep Ohtani after the season, so they’d be better off trading him and getting a bunch of prospects instead of letting his salary skyrocket.
The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles, and other “big market” teams have been consistently mentioned as possible suitors for Ohtani. If a trade were to happen, it would be a blockbuster.
“The New York Mets, who are 45 games behind the Angels in the standings, could make a good offer to the Angels for Ohtani because of their abundance of prospects,” Sports Illustrated wrote on Nov. 21, listing four of the Mets’ top prospects, including shortstop Ronnie Morisio, as trade targets. Dodger Nation, which focuses on Dodger news, also recently reported that “the Dodgers would need at least six prospects to convince the Angels to give up Ohtani.”
The Angels have yet to make a decision on whether to trade Ohtani. Owner Arte Moreno has reportedly been particularly reluctant to move him.
According to Major League Baseball Network columnist John Morosi, the Angels are likely to wait until just before the trade deadline. However, if Ohtani is traded, it is unlikely to be to a team in the AL West. Moreno has made it clear that he will not be sold to a division rival.
Meanwhile, Ohtani’s quest for 60 home runs is also in the spotlight. Ohtani has 35 homers in the 97 games the team has played this year. The math says that 58 homers are possible this season. But Ohtani doesn’t slow down in the second half. In the 68 games he played in the second half of last year, Ohtani hit 15 homers, or one every 4.1 games. This was a better pace than his first half (one every 4.7 games). If Ohtani maintains his current hitting pace, he could break 60 home runs, something only six players have done in the 140-plus years of big league history.
“It’s fun and exciting to watch him play,” said Aaron Judge (31-New York Yankees), who won the home run title last year with 62 homers, “but records are records. It would be fun to see him hit more than 63 home runs.”