The best player in baseball, Shohei Ohtani, may be available via trade in the next couple of weeks and the Philadelphia Phillies are one of the many teams seen as a realistic suitor.
"If the Phillies acquire Shohei Ohtani, I believe they will win the World Series...it would be one of the most talented teams I have ever seen...This is the best baseball player I have ever seen...I'm not subtracting from the big league team. They want prospects, Hugh, they want young players. The Angels are likely going to rebuild.
"Hugh, I would trade whatever it takes, and I don't know exactly what it is going to take because we've never seen a player like this. This is unprecedented, the kind of player Ohtani is. But I would be willing to let's use the phrase mortgage the farm, trade the prospects, to trade for a rental in Shohei Ohtani. I believe the Phillies would win it all if they get Shohei Ohtani. The Braves are the only team in the National League that looks great right now, everybody else is beatable. I think Ohtani puts the Phillies over everyone. This weekend convinced me, go big at the trade deadline, go get Shohei Ohtani."
Ohtani is 29-years-old and reportedly likes playing on the west coast. If the Phillies were to pursue a trade for the three-time All-Star and 2021 AL MVP, it would cost a lot and they may only have him for the rest of 2023, as Ohtani will be an unrestricted free-agent after the season.
The trade deadline is on Tuesday, August 1st and MLB.com's Jon Morosi says of a possible Ohtani trade, "If they get multiple players offered among the top 100 prospects in the game, [the Angels] have to at least think about it."
The Phillies have three top-100 prospects in RHP Andrew Painter (No. 8 prospect via MLB.com), RHP Mick Abel (No. 42), and OF Justin Crawford (No. 84).
Giglio received some push back from his co-host Hugh Douglas on the idea, as Douglas is more intrigued by building from within in a similar fashion to how the Atlanta Braves have succeeded over the last six years.
The Phillies, according to BetOnline.ag, are 20-1 to be Ohtani's next team. There are 12 MLB teams with shorter odds than the Phils to land the Angels' superstar.
Los Angeles Dodgers -7/2
New York Mets - 9/2
New York Yankees - 11/2
Seattle Mariners - 13/2
San Francisco Giants - 15/2
Atlanta Braves - 8/1
San Diego Padres - 9/1
Cincinnati Reds - 10/1
Toronto Blue Jays - 12/1
St. Louis Cardinals - 14/1
Texas Rangers - 16/1
Chicago Cubs - 18/1
Philadelphia Phillies - 20/1
Ohtani is slashing .301/.386/.665 with a MLB best 34 home runs and 73 RBI. As a pitcher, he is 7-5 with a 3.50 ERA. However, once again, the Angels are struggling as they are just 46-48 this season, 6.0 games back of an AL Wildcard spot.
The Phils would likely have to give up a ton for just a few months of the game's best player, which would almost certainly include top pitching prospects Andrew Painter, Mick Abel and more.
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