MLB Rumors: Will the Los Angeles Angels trade Shohei Ohtani?

Shohei Ohtani is the game's greatest asset, and he's set to become a free agent at the end of this season. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the presumed frontrunner for his services, as they've been in cost-cutting mode since last winter in hopes of affording the two-way superstar.

Losing Ohtani would be hard enough for the Angels to overcome, but doing so to their own California neighbor is almost unbearable.

To the Angels credit, they have performed well so far this season with the pressure on. LAA is just a half-game back of an AL Wild Card spot, and still in the AL West conversation despite the Texas Rangers hot start. If there were any way to convince Ohtani to stay, winning might do the trick. Personal accolades will come wherever Ohtani goes. If we learned anything from the World Baseball Classic, it's how much Shohei can thrive in a winning environment.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal noted that, for now, the tea leaves suggest an Ohtani trade is very unlikely.

"The Angels are just a half-game back in the AL wild-card race, and haven't made the postseason since 2014 (they haven't won a playoff game since 2009). If they trade Ohtani when those dry spells might be dampening, the realm of Angels might feel a bit more like Gehenna…

Would they even be able to win a bidding war against the most cash-flush franchises in the sport? If not (or if Ohtani is just ready to be somewhere else), the only thing they'd get in return for his departure is a draft pick.

So yeah. It's complicated."

The risk of losing Ohtani for nothing has to eat at the Angels front office, but it's a burden they agreed to take on when they signed the two-way superstar all those years ago. Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime talent, and will be paid as such. Hopefully for the sake of Angels fans, it's at least not while wearing Dodger blue.

MLB Rumors: When will Sean Murphy be back for Braves?

Atlanta has plenty of question marks at catcher, but in this case, it's a good thing. Atlanta has a surplus, with both Sean Murphy and Travis d'Arnaud ranking as two of the best backstops in the National League.

Murphy could very well make the NL All-Star team, assuming he's healthy. That's been a slight issue of late, as Murphy was forced to sit out a few days with a right hamstring ailment. Murphy's MRI revealed positive results, as MLB.com's Mark Bowman pointed out:

"The good news is an MRI exam just showed irritation around Murphy's hamstring, meaning there's a chance he could be ready to play again as soon as Wednesday or Thursday. The Braves can also opt to place Murphy on the injured list if it looks like he needs a little more time. If a decision is made by Wednesday, the move could be made retroactive to Sunday."

Perhaps even better news is that the Braves are in no rush to get Murphy back thanks to having the sure-handed d'Arnaud as their backup catcher. But, as David O'Brien of The Athletic reported on Wednesday, Murphy is nearing a comfortable return.

So, what does this mean for d'Arnaud? He will go back to his regularly-slotted playing time, but Jim Bowden, a former general manager who now writes at The Athletic, thinks he could be a popular trade chips should Atlanta wish to upgrade at the deadline.

"D'Arnaud is so valuable to the Braves because he protects them from an injury to catcher Sean Murphy and/or DH Marcell Ozuna and gives them a clutch hitter off the bench at any time. They are not looking to move him. However, if a team were willing to offer a mid-rotation starting pitcher for d'Arnaud and a prospect, then Atlanta would have to consider it. D'Arnaud is signed through this year with an $8 million team option for 2024," Bowden wrote.

While having a surplus at such a valuable position could make the Braves NL frontrunners, if they have a hole to fill at the trade deadline, dealing from a position of strength makes some sense.

MLB Rumors: SF Giants favored for Paul Goldschmidt?

It's a bit of a stretch to consider any team a favorite for Paul Goldschmidt, considering there's no guarantee the St. Louis Cardinals will trade him. The Cards would be smart to take calls on all their stars.

This includes Goldy, who is under contract for only one more year and will turn 36 years old before next season. Now is the best time to cash in on that value, as any contender would receive a top-tier MVP candidate for two playoff runs.

It's a major if, but were the Cards to move off a key piece of their core in Goldschmidt, the San Francisco Giants make sense as a potential suitor if they were to buy in.

San Francisco is 13-2 in their last 15 games. They are among the hottest teams in all of baseball, minus perhaps the Cincinnati Reds, who now lead the NL Central. As Bleacher Report points out, the Giants need the sort of right-handed power which Goldschmidt offers, and could move LaMonte Wade Jr. to the outfield to accommodate Goldy at first base.

BR has the Cards dealing Goldschmidt and Jordan Montgomery to the Giants for Kyle Harrison, who is the best left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball. St. Louis would likely ask for a bit more than one player in exchange, but Harrison is the No. 14 prospect in baseball for a reason.