Ranking the 5 best players who played for the Angels and Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers was the expected outcome, but a big blow to the Los Angeles Angels nonetheless. Ohtani will now have a chance to win presumably every season for the next decade, while the Angels will try their best to find a way to rebuild after Ohtani's departure.

Ohtani becomes the latest player who will enjoy time on both sides of this Freeway Series Rivalry. There's a very good chance Shohei will become the best player to play for both of these teams when it's all said and done, but there have been some prime examples of good players wearing both uniforms in the past. These are the five best.

5) Garret Anderson

Garret Anderson spent 15 of his 17 seasons playing MLB with the Angels, enjoying time on three different Angels teams. He began his career with the California Angels, then continued on with the Anaheim Angels, only to then play for the Los Angeles Angels. That kind of longevity helped make him an Angels legend, and a player fans will forever adore.

Not only is Anderson the best Angels player to ever wear number 16, but he's one of the best outfielders in Angels history, and one of the best just pure hitters in general.

His career .296/.327/.469 slash line with the Halos speaks for itself, and he added 272 home runs and 1,292 RBI in his 15 years. He's the franchise leader in many categories including games played, hits, doubles, RBI, and total bases.

Anderson wrapped up his Angels career in 2008, and played the next season in Atlanta. He'd have an underwhelming year as Atlanta's starting left fielder, so he had to take a minor league deal to join the Dodgers the following offseason. He made the Opening Day roster but lasted just 80 games in Dodger Blue, putting up a .475 OPS before being DFA'd and eventually hanging up the spikes.

His time with the Dodgers was less than memorable, but his Angels years were elite enough to put him on this list.

4) Fernando Valenzuela

Now that we acknowledged a player who was special for the Angels and barely played for the Dodgers, it's time to do the same but in reverse. Fernando Valenzuela is known for his time with the Dodgers, but had a brief cameo with the Angels as well in the middle of his terrific career.

Valenzuela spent the first 11 years of his career with the Dodgers and established himself as one of the best pitchers in the history of their franchise and one of the more underrated southpaws of all-time. Somehow he's not in the Hall of Fame, but he certainly had an excellent peak.

Valenzela's first full season in the majors saw him not only win the Rookie of the Year Award, but he was the NL Cy Young winner. Yes, a rookie took home the Cy Young. He led the league in starts (25) innings pitched (192.1) and strikeouts (180) in the 1981 season, helping the Dodgers eventually win the World Series. Valenzuela's rookie season is certainly one of the best in MLB history.

By the time Valenzuela joined the Angels, he was far from the pitcher who had that insane rookie year. He was five years removed from his last all-star appearance, and was nothing more than a mid-rotation arm at that point. Still, with the Angels needing starting pitching help, they called on the veteran to see if he could do anything for them. Unfortunately the answer was no, as he made just two starts, got shelled, and then wound up dealing with a heart issue which eventually ended his Angels career.

All the Halos got out of him was two starts and a 12.15 ERA in 6.2 innings pitched. What Valenzuela did for the Dodgers makes him one of the best players to play for both teams, but the fact that he did virtually nothing with the Angels lowers him down on the list.

2) Andy Messersmith

Andy Messersmith spent most of his career in Southern California playing baseball for the Angels and Dodgers. His career began with the Angels in the 1968 season before he'd eventually go on to play two separate stints with the Dodgers.

Messersmith began his MLB career primarily as a reliever, but by his second season he was already one of the better starting pitchers in the American League after he posted a 2.52 ERA in 40 appearances (33 starts) and 250 innings of work. He even received some MVP consideration that year, finishing 29th on the AL Ballot.

His five years with the California Angels were outstanding, as he posted a 2.78 ERA in 168 appearances (123 starts). He didn't win a Cy Young award and only made the all-star team once, but this right-hander was certainly an ace for his half-decade in Anaheim.

After the 1972 season, the Angels opted to trade him to the Dodgers in a deal involving another legend to play for both teams, Frank Robinson. The Angels got a couple of solid years out of the future Hall of Famer, but the Dodgers got three outstanding years out of Messersmith. The former Angels hurler made the all-star team in 1974 and 1975 for the Dodgers, finishing in the top five of the NL Cy Young balloting both years. He finished as the NL Cy Young runner-up in 1974 and led the league with 321.2 innings in 1975. The final year of his career was spent in Dodger Blue as he made 11 starts for them in 1979 after stops in Atlanta and New York with the Yankees.

Messersmith is a prime example of a player who excelled with both of these franchises. He wasn't with either one for incredibly long, but he sure was impactful.

1) Don Sutton

When fans think of players that played for both the Angels and Dodgers, Don Sutton is a common answer. No, he wasn't with the Angels for too long, but he was effective in his short time with them, while he was a Hall of Famer with the Dodgers.

Sutton's first 15 years were spent with the Dodgers, and he was, of course, one of the best pitchers in the National League for a long time. Sutton never won a Cy Young with the Dodgers (somehow) but he was a four-time all-star and finished in the top five of the NL Cy Young balloting five times. He was as consistent as they came for a very long time.

After years spent in Houston and Milwaukee, Sutton began the 1985 season with Oakland. He was then traded in September of that year to the Angels in exchange for two players to be named later. He'd make five starts for the Angels that season, and pitch for them in each of the next two. He wasn't the same pitcher as he was with the Dodgers, but he wasn't all that bad either.

Sutton had a 4.16 ERA in his 74 appearances and 430.1 innings with the Angels. He wasn't a Cy Young contender or anything, but he gave them durability and innings, which is always valuable. Sutton would finish his career with one more year with the Dodgers before finally calling it a career after 23 seasons. He's the best player to have played with both teams because he has the longevity and impact argument on his side.