Shohei Ohtani: 3 realistic trade destinations for the reigning MVP

The Dodgers are another team that seem to be linked to every really good player nowadays. The awkward part is the bad blood that has simmered of late between the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani. Per the Los Angeles Times, a lot of Dodgers made sacrifices to be at the Ohtani Meeting, and it was a “waste of time”. The article seems to paint a picture that there wasn’t bad blood, but there certainly was and it was evident in their first matchups in Ohtani’s inaugural season. I’d imagine the Dodgers can put this behind them for Ohtani, but can Ohtani?

Payroll
Per Spotrac, between Trevor Bauer, David Price, and Craig Kimbrel, the Dodgers will drop off over $83 million from their payroll in the next two years. That gives them more than enough money to give Ohtani the massive extension that he is sure to get, while also allowing them to continue building a stronger team.

Young talent
The Dodgers never seem to have a shortage of young talent. Gavin Lux, Tony Gonsolin, and Dustin May are all potential trade pieces that would catch the Angels eyes. Per MLB.com, their top six prospects all have an ETA of this year or next year. The Dodgers could easily put together a package that would lure Ohtani and not lose a step whatsoever on the field.

Destination
Contrary to the Angels name, they are not located in Los Angeles, and speaking from experience, the difference between the lifestyle in Orange County and Los Angeles is night and day. It’s hard to get too much of a read on Ohtani’s personality due to his interviews being answered by his translator, but he appears to have an extremely laid-back personality. Would he like the idea of living and playing in one of the biggest cities in America? Only he can answer that question, but it may be the reason Ohtani doesn’t end up a Dodger.

Contender
The Dodgers are really good at baseball. They’d continue to be really good with Ohtani on their team.