MLB Rumors: Ohtani Linked To Perennial NL Contender In Possible Trade

Will they or won't they? All eyes are on the Los Angeles Angels as we get closer to trading season in major league baseball, and what they'll do with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who's a free agent-to-be after the season. If the team hangs around the playoff chase, he likely won't get dealt. But if that's not the case...

The latest rumor has the rejuvenated St. Louis Cardinals being linked to an Ohtani trade, if that were to come to pass. The Cards have re-found their stroke at the plate, and are overloaded with plenty of offense. But the pitching... well, that's another story.

Despite a recent run, the Cards are still 17th in ERA in the majors, and not a single starter has an ERA below 4.50.

Ohtani, on the other hand, is having another sensational year on the mound (and at the plate), with a 3.05 ERA, a 0.90 WHIP, an AL-leading 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings, while surrendering a meager .142 opponents' batting average against.

He could be the blockbuster ingredient that would bring the Cardinals back to the World Series contender status they're so used to.

If Ohtani gets traded, don’t the Cardinals make the most sense? They have a surplus of young major league talent to trade away and need pitching + a lefty bat.
— TheFantasyBaseballShow (@FantasyBaseShow) May 17, 2023

The Cards might not have a big track record of making blockbuster trades in-season, but they certainly have a history of bringing in All-Star elite talent over the years, and convincing them to stay.

They have the resources both on the financial side of things, plus the prospect and young major leaguers capital that could enable them to pull off a trade that the Angels (and Ohtani) just might not be able to refuse.