The Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays were really struggling but after firing manager Charlie Montoyo, they have gone 9-2 under new manager John Schneider.
One of their big issues is the backend of their rotation. Of their five primary starters, three of them have an ERA of 3.30 or lower. The other two have an ERA north of 5.00. One of those starters (Yusei Kikuchi) is also on the injured list.
Offensively, unlike the other AL East teams mentioned so far, they do have room for him. At DH, the Jays have largely used the spot as a half day off for their regular position players. Catcher Alejandro Kirk (30 games), first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (21 games), and center fielder George Springer (20 games) have DH’d the most.
The Jays also have four of MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects and three of those four are in Double-A or Triple-A, which could be intriguing for the Angels.
The Cleveland Guardians
The Cleveland Guardians, surprisingly, have not had a great starting pitching staff this season after having good starters for much of the last 15 years but with Shohei Ohtani, he would address that new issue and a long-standing issue: not enough offense.
For their rotation, Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie have each been excellent and Cal Quantrill and Zach Plesac have been around league average. But the fifth starter spot has been more problematic. Aaron Civale is on the IL (for a second time) and his ERA is north of 6.00.
Offensively, their DHs have a wRC+ of 76, which is second-worst in the majors. Getting Ohtani there would take their league average offense (100 wRC+) over the top.
For prospects, they have a staggering eight top 100 prospects so even if they trade half of them, they still would have a very strong farm system so if they truly want Ohtani, they, perhaps more than any other team on this list, should be able to get it done.