Shohei Ohtani’s trade value? It likely means plenty of prospects

The Angels have less than two weeks to decide what they will do before the August 1st trading deadline – which is what happens to Shohei Ohtani.

The Angels two-way star, who is set to pitch Friday, has no comparison – which only makes his potential trade value all the more interesting.

The payout would need to be immediate as Ohtani would likely move to a championship-level playoff team and his unique status will make his absence from the Angels meaningful. With Ohtani’s looming free agency post-season, the team that takes him on would benefit in the short term, but would also reap the benefits of being able to sign him on a longer contract.

Several high-level prospects would likely be in talks about a potential deal, at least based on past deals from other big stars reaching out to free agency. The Dodgers, for example, sent a top 100 contender, two of their own top 30 contenders, and two other contenders for shortstop Manny Machado to the Baltimore Orioles in 2018.

The Angels currently only have two players listed MLB’s Top 100 Prospects List, both catchers: Logan O’Hoppe, who was in the majors this season but has been out since late April following labrum surgery; and Edgar Quero, a standout double A player whose racquet continues to cause a stir among the minors. The Angels started the season with the 28th farming system across all teams, so improving this aspect of the organization wouldn’t hurt.

The Dodgers, considered the top contender for Ohtani in free agency, would have a lot to offer with eight players ranked in the top 100 contenders and also have the second-best farming system in MLB this season. However, the Dodgers are considered unlikely trading partners for the Angels.

When it comes to prospect trading, here’s what some non-playoff Dodgers teams with top 10 farming systems have as top prospects available if they were considering a trade for Ohtani.

(All rankings from MLB.comTeams listed by farm system ranking.)