The Shohei Ohtani trade market could be the wildest MLB has ever seen, but another pundit has linked him to a surprise landing spot.
The writing has seemed to be on the wall that, if the Los Angeles Angels drop out of contention this season, that a Shohei Ohtani trade could be on the table. If the Halos are competing at a legitimate level, then it would likely pave the way for the two-way Japanese superstar leaving in free agency, thus increasing the urgency of the Angels to trade him in order to avoid losing him for nothing.
And the Angels are indeed falling. After a 19-14 start to the year, they are just 6-9 in their last 15 games, dropping to 25-23 overall, third in the AL West, and five games back of the Rangers in the division. The stars are starting to align for an Ohtani trade.
But where, oh where, could Shohei Ohtani end up if he is traded this season?
Obviously, you have to think about the ultra-aggressive teams always in the mix like the Mets, Yankees, and Dodgers. However, there has been a sleeper team looming underneath the surface for some time that might just fit the bill: the St. Louis Cardinals.
And now another MLB pundit, this time Gavin Patrick of TWSN, has linked Ohtani to the Cardinals. Here's what Patrick said about the possibility of the two-way phenom ending up in St. Louis.
The Cardinals aren't afraid to take big swings (no pun intended) in the trade market. Just two years ago, St. Louis swung a blockbuster trade for star third baseman Nolan Arenado. It's safe to say that the Cards don't regret that trade.
Do the Cardinals need Ohtani? Maybe not, but if you want to revitalize your season, trading for Ohtani puts you right back in the mix for postseason success.
Cardinals rumors: Shohei Ohtani trade linked to Cards by another MLB pundit
The Cardinals seemed to be moving out of the running for any hypothetical Ohtani trade early in the season after a disastrous beginning of the year. Of late, however, they've caught fire and have looked more like the team we expected, winning eight of their last 10 games and notching three straight series wins.
If that continues and they keep moving up the NL Central standings, the Redbirds could be looking for that superstar solution to their problems. That's a role that Ohtani could definitely fill.
What puts the Cardinals in a unique position for an Ohtani trade, though, is that they have one of the richest farm systems in baseball with four prospects in the Top 100 rankings from MLB Pipeline, including Jordan Walker and Matthew Liberatore, while also having young former top prospects and assets like Dylan Carlson, Tyler O'Neill, Alec Burleson and others. Put plainly, they have the ammo to potentially make the Angels budge.
There is a lot to still play out before a Shohei Ohtani trade would become a reality. But while the Cardinals might seem like a surprise team, if they can continue to erase their awful start to the 2023 season, they might actually be the most logical landing spot.