Should The Orioles Trade For Shohei Ohtani?
The Baltimore Orioles are the best team in the American League. I don’t think even the most optimistic Oriole fan had that on their bingo card prior to the 2023 MLB Season. With that said, is it possibly time to make a big splash? Could Shohei Ohtani be on the horizon?
It turns out that Baltimore has thrown their hat in the ring if Ohtani is moved. Jon Morosi of MLB Network has reported that the Diamondbacks and Orioles are two interested parties in executing a potential trade. An Ohtani trade is still viewed as unlikely at this time.
The Dodgers have already been ruled out as a potential trade partner so maybe the Orioles really do have a shot at it. Ohtani is the best player in the sport but does he actually make sense for the Orioles? In reality, probably not. At least via trade.
There is no rush on this thing for Baltimore. They have a ton of young talent and aren’t close to reaching their actual potential yet. There isn’t any reason to part with several young pieces in order to land Ohtani for the win-now window. This window in Baltimore is WIDE open. If anything, Ohtani should be interested in signing with Baltimore once he reaches free agency. He would make sense from a team standpoint too given the fact that they really aren’t paying anyone either. If you’re going to pay anyone while having a stud young core intact, it’s Shohei Ohtani.
In short, yes, Ohtani makes sense for the O’s but not now. Not in a deal where they need to give up significant assets. Ohtani likely wants to stick on the west coast but signing with Baltimore in the offseason would make a ton of sense if he wants to win.
