5 Giants players the Angels should demand in a Shohei Ohtani trade

Thanks to a four-game winning streak which included a sweep of the New York Yankees, the Shohei Ohtani trade talks have been put on hold for a bit. The Los Angeles Angels are back over .500 at 49-48, and there's a good chance they consider holding onto the game's best player past the trade deadline.

While that's certainly Arte Moreno's hope, the Halos still have some work to do to make the postseason. They'refive games back of the third Wild Card spot, and with them losing the season series against the Astros and trailing against Toronto, that defecit can be thought of as a six-gamer.

IWhile it's certainly unlikely, the possibility is stilll there that the Angels trade Shohei Ohtani for a monster haul in just a couple of weeks. If that does heppen, more than half of the league is expected to be in on him. The asking price will be lofty, but the Giants stick out as a destination with the desire to win, a prospect package to make it happen, and a place Ohtani might want to stay at long term.

It's worth noting that the Angels won't get all five of these prospects in an Ohtani deal, but Perry Minasian should at least be finding a way to walk away with three of them.

1) Giants AAA pitcher Kyle Harrison

If the Angels do look into a deal with the Giants, you almost expect Kyle Harrison to be the centerpiece no matter what.

The biggest issue with this Angels team has been pitching. Particularly starting pitching. Losing Ohtani would obviously hurt that a lot, but replacing him with a potential future ace wouldn't be an awful consolation prize.

Kyle Harrison is the Giants top prospect and is ranked 11th overall on MLB.com's top 100 list. He ranks third in starting pitching prospects behind only Andrew Painter of the Phillies who's undergoing Tommy John Surgery and Gavin Williams of the Guardians who's already in the majors.

Harrison might have a 4.79 ERA in AAA this season, but PCL stats are always skewed against pitchers. He's walked 30 batters in 56.1 innings which is definitely concerning, but 92 strikeouts in those innings is super impressive. He's a southpaw with electric stuff and is a guy many believe can be a top of the rotation arm.

If the Angels were to make any sort of deal with the Giants, even with how risky pitching prospects are to acquire as the centerpiece for a superstar, Harrison feels like a lock to be included.

2) Giants AAA infielder Marco Luciano

Marco Luciano is another player the Angels should do whatever in their power to acquire. The 21-year-old is a shortstop which is a spot the Angels are set at, but scouts believe Luciano will be moving off of the position anyway as his range is more suited for third base. Thanks to Anthony Rendon's lack of availability, that spot is certainly open.

Luciano is the Giants number two prospect and is ranked 15th overall on the top 100 list, just four spots below Harrison. He was just recently moved from AA to AAA after posting a .789 OPS in 56 games for AA Richmond this season.

Luciano doesn't have the best hit tool in the world but he has terrific power and would make for quite the duo on the left side of the infield with Neto. He's a top-15 prospect for a reason.

Is it likely the Giants include two top-15 prospects for a rental? Maybe not, but they're 54-43 on the season and an Ohtani addition could not only win them the NL West, but potentially give them a deep playoff run. Acquiring Ohtani early could also give them an edge when it comes to retaining him. It might be unlikely, but after missing out on both Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa this past offseason, it's certainly possible this team is desperate enough to do whatever it takes.

3) Giants AA pitcher Carson Whisenhunt

Two of San Francisco's top-four prospects are pitchers with Carson Whisenhunt ranking fourth on their prospect rankings. Whisenhunt is also a top 100 prospect, ranking 93rd on the list.

The southpaw has had an unbelievable year in 2023, making his way up through three levels from A San Jose to AA Richmond. He's struggled a tad in Richmond posting a 4.02 ERA in five starts and just 15.2 innings pitched, but this comes after absolutely dominating A+ Eugene. He had a 1.42 ERA in six starts with eight walks and 36 strikeouts in 25.1 innings pitched.

Again, this Angels team needs as much pitching as it can get, and Whisenhunt rising through the Giants system at a rapid pace makes him an arm Perry Minasian should insist on acquiring. Whisenhunt boasts one of the best changeups in the minors, and if he can add some more velocity on his fastball and add an breaking pitch, the sky truly feels like the limit. Even if he doesn't he feels like a legit starter.

The 22-year-old has an ETA of 2025 according to MLB Pipeline, but with the way the Angels aggressively promote prospects, I wouldn't be shocked to see this guy in the rotation next season if the Halos did acquire him.

Harrison, Luciano, and Whisenhunt feels like a pipe dream, and it likely is, but if the Angels can find a way to land those three, even if they throw in a guy like Matt Moore or Hunter Renfroe, that'd be quite the haul.

4) Giants outfielder Luis Matos

While it's unlikely the Giants include each of those three prospects, Luis Matos feels like a player they'd be more willing to include. That's not to say he doesn't have potential, but they're overloaded with outfielders as is. With Matos being in the majors already, they could be willing to ship him off for someone else like Shohei who can help them right now. If that's the case, the Angels should be looking to add him.

Now I get it, the Angels really don't need another outfielder themselves. However, Matos is the Giants third-ranked prospect and is 67th overall on the top-100 list. The number one priority for an Ohtani trade should be to stockpile as much talent as possible. Even if the fit isn't great, I'd rather have a great outfield prospect over a so-so pitching prospect.

With that being said, Matos looks like an impressive player. He's had a decent start to his MLB career thus far, hitting .260 in 96 at-bats with eight walks and just 11 strikeouts. He doesn't have much power as he never hit more than 15 home runs in a minor league season, but he's a guy you can look at as a potential .300 hitter down the line with good speed and defense. In a lot of ways he's your prototypical center fielder.

The Giants have the depth necessary to swallow losing Matos while the Angels can add another young outfielder to the mix, or potentially flip him for another player who fits the team better.