5 Dodgers players the Angels can target after losing Shohei Ohtani to their rivals

The Shohei Ohtani news is still fresh in the minds of Los Angeles Angels fans. Their best player will now be suiting up for their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. That is, no matter how many people predicted it, a tough pill to swallow.

Ohtani makes the Dodgers a legitimate World Series contender, if not the favorites, while the Angels' path to a winning season just became much tougher. One way for them to get a bit closer to contending is through free agency, and signing some former Dodgers could help them get there.

1) J.D. Martinez

The most seamless fit of any former Dodger and possibly any free agent on the board is J.D. Martinez. No, he's not as good of a hitter as Ohtani, but he's arguably the best hitter available with Ohtani gone, and is easy to plug into their newly-vacant DH spot.

Martinez is coming off an excellent season with the Dodgers as he slashed .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI. He hit 33 home runs despite only appearing in 113 games. Martinez would've ranked second behind just Ohtani in most offensive stats, making him a player who'd be the best hitter in the lineup behind just a healthy Trout.

Signing Martinez comes with its negatives, even with how perfect of a fit it might seem to be on the surface. He's 36 years old, there's a good chance he'd command a multi-year deal, and with Trout and Anthony Rendon having questionable injury histories, the argument as to whether they should be targeting a player who cannot play the field like Martinez is a valid one.

Martinez is a player many expect the Angels to pursue with Ohtani off the board, and it's not hard to see why. He'd undoubtedly make this team better. It certainly would not be a bad idea.

2) Cody Bellinger

Martinez might be the best pure hitter remaining, but Cody Bellinger is arguably the best and most expensive position player on the market now with Ohtani gone. Yes, that does say a lot about how bad this class is when it comes to position players, but it also says a lot about the year Bellinger just had.

After signing a one-year prove-it deal with the Cubs last offseason, Bellinger did just that by taking home a Silver Slugger award and finishing in the top 10 of the NL MVP balloting. When right, Bellinger is an MVP-caliber player, and one that would have a huge impact on this Angels team. The problem is, it's hard to trust that Bellinger will have a repeat of his strong year.

Bellinger won the NL MVP award as a member of the Dodgers in 2019 but then followed that up with three miserable seasons. He was arguably the worst hitter in baseball in 2021 and 2022 before latching on with the Cubs. The Angels and new hitting coach Johnny Washington might believe Bellinger will remain the MVP-caliber player we know he can be, but there's every chance he struggles and the Angels throw away what'll likely be over $150 million at the very least.

At this point, after losing Ohtani, this Angels team really doesn't have much to lose. Bellinger could fall into their laps with Ohtani gone, and who knows? It could work out.

3) Justin Turner

Justin Turner would help the Angels in a couple of ways. He'd fit in nicely as their primary DH when the team is healthy, but can also play third base in a pinch if/when Anthony Rendon lands on the Injured List. Having Justin Turner, a proven hitter as a Rendon insurance policy would be the best case scenario.

Turner spent nine years with the Dodgers and was the model of consistency during his time there. He made a pair of all-star teams, received MVP votes three times, and was a staple in the middle of their lineup for nearly a decade. He was a clutch hitter, and a professional one at that. He'd be a great fit in the middle of this Angels lineup.

The Dodgers let him go last offseason and Turner latched on with the Red Sox. He was primarily a DH in Boston, but played both corner infield positions when needed and even had 10 appearances at second base. His glove is nothing to write home about, but Turner's bat was excellent as usual.

The 39-year-old slashed .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI for Boston in 2023. He was able to appear in 146 games, and he was as good as ever in clutch moments. This Angels team was miserable with runners in scoring position, but Turner hit .338 with a .943 OPS in those spots for Boston. The Angels sure could use some of that.

5) Hyun Jin Ryu

What this Angels team desperately needs is pitching more than anything. Any of these four Dodgers bats would be a huge help, but an arm would be even better. Unfortunately, there aren't many former Dodgers that make sense for the Angels (no, Clayton Kershaw is not coming here), but Hyun Jin Ryu could make some sense.

It's no secret that injuries have played a major role in Ryu's career. He has just two seasons with 30+ starts in his ten-year MLB career. For an Angels team that seems to always be riddled with injuries, that's less than ideal. However, as a depth addition, you can't do much better than this southpaw.

He might not be super reliable when it comes to taking the ball, but when he does take the mound, he's still quite good. This past season for the Blue Jays, Ryu posted a 3.46 ERA in his 11 starts. Small sample for sure, but this is the kind of pitcher he has been for most of his career.

The 36-year-old spent each of his first six seasons with the Dodgers, establishing himself as one of the best left-handed starters in the National League before signing with the Blue Jays. He led the league in ERA in 2019, finishing as the NL Cy Young runner-up to Jacob deGrom. He then was a finalist once again in the shortened 2020 season with Toronto. It's been a little while since he was pitching as a star level, but that's where his ceiling is.

Bringing in Ryu would come with some risk because of how injury prone he has been, but could pay off in a big way if he does stay healthy. The deal would likely only be for one year anyway, so it wouldn't hurt the Angels too much if he did miss substantial time.