As the countdown to the 2023 MLB trade deadline continues, the hottest name (possibly) on the market remains Shohei Ohtani.
MLB Network’s Jon Morosi detailed what sources have told him must happen over the next 11 days in order for the Los Angeles Angels not to trade the two-way stud.
Between now and the Aug. 1 deadline, the Angels will play three home games (July 21-23 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates) and seven road games. Los Angeles has gone 27-22 at home this year and is 22-26 away from Angel Stadium.
Their next six contests are against below .500 teams who are 10 and 9.5 games behind their league’s final wild card spot in the Pirates (42-54) and Detroit Tigers (44-52) respectively. The Angels haven’t played either squad this season.
They’ll then have a three-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays in arguably their biggest series between now and the deadline. The Blue Jays (54-43) currently hold the final postseason spot in the American League and though Game 1 of that matchup is still one week away, the probable pitchers are the aces of both staffs in Ohtani and Kevin Gausman.
Toronto took two out of three in Los Angeles in the team’s only series this season, but that came in early April and the Angels outscored the Blue Jays 23-21 that weekend.
Following next weekend’s battle north of the border, Ohtani and company will start a three-game road series against the best team in baseball, the Atlanta Braves (62-33). The teams haven’t played each other this year.
The Boston Red Sox start a stretch of eight straight games against National League teams on Friday, when they face the New York Mets (45-51), who appear to be straddling the line of buy-sell mode ahead of the deadline. The Red Sox follow up their three home contests against the Mets with two more at Fenway Park vs. the Braves and three on the road against the San Francisco Giants (54-43), before beginning a three-game road set against the Seattle Mariners (48-48).
The New York Yankees are seemingly in freefall without Aaron Judge but start a five-game homestand against the Kansas City Royals (28-70) and Mets on Friday. They’ll then have back-to-back big AL East matchups against the Baltimore Orioles (59-37) and Tampa Bay Rays (60-40).
On top of the Red Sox and Yankees, Angels fans need to keep an eye on the teams directly below them in the wild card standings too, as the Mariners loom at the .500 mark and the Cleveland Guardians are 47-49.