Ranking the top 3 trade partners for Shohei Ohtani

With Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno expressing an interest in selling the team, a Shohei Ohtani trade seems to be inevitable.

Ohtani will be a free agent after the 2023 season and with the Angels likely not competing, the chances of them retaining the Japanese superstar are pretty slim.

All 29 other teams will be calling the Angels to hear the price for an Ohtani trade but the only teams that will likely trade for him are the ones who can afford to extend him as the package that would be required to land him is too much for a one-year commitment.

3) Ranking the potential Ohtani trade partners: Los Angeles Dodgers

The crosstown rival Dodgers seem to be in the mix for every superstar that becomes available and I expect them to be very much in the mix with regard to Shohei Ohtani.

The Dodgers have everything that would make this trade work. They're a great team, they're willing to spend the money necessary to extend him, they have the assets required to land him, and they're in Los Angeles. If Ohtani wants to stay in LA but not on the Angels, the Dodgers are the obvious match.

The Dodgers just won 111 games and have a legitimate shot at winning another World Series title. They have an amazing team with a chance to improve it this off-season.

Guys like David Price, Craig Kimbrel, and Joey Gallo will be coming off of the Dodgers' books this offseason. With Trea Turner potentially not returning to Los Angeles, that opens up even more money for the Dodgers to spend on Ohtani.

The Dodgers have everything the Angels could want in a trade package. They have high-end prospects like Diego Cartaya, Bobby Miller, Miguel Vargas, and Michael Busch. All four of those prospects are ranked in the top 45 of mlb.com's prospect rankings with Cartaya ranked as the eighth best.

The Dodgers have seven total top 100 prospects, all of which are close to making it to the majors. They have without a doubt one of the deepest farm systems in all of baseball.

Los Angeles also has great young talent that is already on their roster. Guys like Dustin May and Gavin Lux who project as very good players down the line could be available in a trade.

The reason I have the Dodgers as the third-best team to make a trade with is the fact that they're the other team in Los Angeles. How willing will General Manager Perry Minasian and the new owner be to watch Ohtani potentially win championships with their cross-town rival?