10 teams that need to trade for Shohei Ohtani right now (and have the prospects to do it)

If the Los Angeles Angels decide to trade reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani, there will be 29 teams that would love to have him.

Ohtani entered his start on Thursday with a .257/.352/.492 with 21 home runs, 59 RBI, 16 doubles, and an OPS+ of 136. On the pitching front, he had made 16 starts with a 9-5 record with a 2.80 ERA, a 2.42 FIP, a 0.996 WHIP, and an average of 2.2 walks and 12.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

He is a free agent after the 2023 season so if the Angels do trade him (and they are entertaining offers for him right now), then he would probably be a more affordable option for teams than Juan Soto.

Not every team has what it would take to get Shohei Ohtani but here are 10 teams that need to trade for Ohtani before the trade deadline and have the means to do it.

The Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles are a game over .500 and in fourth place in the AL East and they are only three games out of the AL Wild Card picture. Their main weakness is their starting rotation, as four of the top five starters (by number of starts) have an ERA+ of league average of worse.

They have had some relief in that department from other players in recent weeks but it still remains a weakness for them.

The Orioles also have five prospects in MLB.com’s Top 100, including two in the top five. Catcher Adley Rutschman also just graduated out of the list earlier this year and he was the #1 overall prospect.

The only issue would be that the Orioles have Trey Mancini (one of their best bats) as their primary DH. They are also covered in the corner outfield spots and at first base (Mancini’s other positions). But Ohtani would be their best bat so if they wanted him enough, they could kill two birds with one stone there.

The Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are below the Orioles in the standings but they are still only 3.5 games back in the AL Wild Card hunt at 50-50.

Their starting rotation has been decimated by injuries as Chris Sale has missed (virtually) the entire season. They also only have four starters with double-digit starts … and two of them are currently on the IL.

The Red Sox also have the prospects, as they have four prospects in MLB.com’s Top 100, including two in the top 15.

Offensively, they need some help, particularly in the outfield. But neither Ohtani nor J.D. Martinez (their DH) have played a single inning in the outfield this season. The Red Sox are already a bad defensive team so do they really want someone in the outfield who hasn’t played out there this year?

The New York Yankees

The Yankees are one of the best teams in the sport. They have a good starting rotation and they also have a good offense … but they have had a lot of injuries.

Currently, their primary DH Giancarlo Stanton is on the injured list with Achilles tendinitis. Also, starting pitcher Luis Severino (lat) has yet to resume throwing after being on the IL for the last two weeks. Ohtani could replace both of them.

The Yankees have a good farm system (five top 100 prospects) so while they don’t necessarily “need” Ohtani, acquiring him might put them over the top, particularly against a team like the Astros in the playoffs.

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.

The Miami Marlins

The Miami Marlins are a team on the periphery of being able to get a playoff spot as they are 47-52 and five games back of the final NL Wild Card spot. However, they already have a good nucleus and could surprise some people if they get enough offense in the mix. Shohei Ohtani could obviously help with that.

Offensively, All-Star Garrett Cooper (their primary DH) is on the IL. Also, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Brian Anderson, and Jorge Soler are all on the IL. As a team, their wRC+ is 95, which is 20th in the sport.

For the starters, Sandy Alcantara and Pablo Lopez have been two of the best starters in the sport. Braxton Garrett has also been good. However, Trevor Rogers has regressed a lot and Eliser Hernandez is on the IL and has struggled.

For the return to the Angels, the Marlins have three prospects in MLB’s Top 50.

The St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals only have four starters with at least 10 starts. Two of of them are on the injured list. Three more pitchers have at least five starts and two of them have an ERA of 4.85 or higher. Their team ERA is 4.06, or 17th in baseball so they need to address it.

Offensively, Albert Pujols has only been a part-time DH (38 games) but five more players have done it at least a dozen times. Pujols has played first base some as well so Ohtani could take over the reins there while still giving Pujols as much playing time as he has had so far.

They also have five top 100 prospects.

The Colorado Rockies

The Rockies are a team that is most likely not going to make the playoffs. However, as GM Bill Schmidt told our sister site, Rox Pile, earlier this week, the club still could be buyers at the trade deadline.

Entering this season, they were banking on strong starting pitching but they have had some injuries and some of them have regressed. As a result, their starters had an ERA of 5.00 entering Thursday, which was 28th in the sport.

Offensively, despite the common narrative, the Rockies do not have a great offense. They have primarily been using Charlie Blackmon as their DH since he is 36 years old and not a great defensive outfielder.

They believe that they can get back in the playoff race this season and will be contenders next season so if that’s the case, they should be willing to give up some of their prospects (including five in MLB’s Top 100) to make that a reality.

The San Francisco Giants

The Giants are on the periphery of the playoff picture right now as they have lost seven of their last 10 games, dropping them to a record of 49-50, or three games back of the NL Wild Card spot. Acquiring Shohei Ohtani could be the shot in the arm that the Giants need to get to the playoffs as they did last year, when they won 107 games.

They have a decent farm system as they have three Top 100 prospects (two of which are in the top 50). They also have two starters that have been below league average on the season. Offensively, their primary DH has been Tommy La Stella, who has an OPS+ of 75.