Shohei Ohtani Trade Rumors: Angels Want 'Multiple Top 100-Type Prospects' in Any Deal

The Los Angeles Angels are reportedly willing to listen to trade offers for two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani before the Aug. 1 deadline, but any sort of deal is likely going to require a haul of top-tier prospects.

The Angels want "multiple top-100 type prospects to begin the conversation" for an Ohtani deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.

Ohtani is set to become a free agent after the 2023 season and he is expected to command the largest contract in Major League Baseball history, surpassing the 12-year, $426.5 million deal Mike Trout signed with the Angels in March 2019.

During the league's All-Star weekend festivities in Seattle, several players, including Kansas City Royals slugger Salvador Perez, said they believed Ohtani would fetch $600 million on his next contract.

"He's going to get a lot of money and he deserves it. There's no other player out there like him," Atlanta Braves star Sean Murphy said, per Tim Booth of the Associated Press. "I don't know what I would do if I was in the position of having to sign him, but he's incredible."

There's little question the Angels would love to keep the face of the franchise, though any hesitancy they might have in extending him on such a significant deal is understandable given luxury tax implications.

Additionally, it's always possible Ohtani walks away from the Angels in free agency, leaving them with nothing in return. He has been vocal about wanting to play for a team with championship aspirations, and the Angels are on pace to miss the postseason for the ninth straight season.

"Those feelings get stronger year by year," Ohtani said through his interpreter Ippei Mizuhara at All-Star weekend, per The Athletic's Andy McCullough. "It sucks to lose. [I want] to win."

Ohtani is the best player in baseball and there's no one quite like him. It's possible any team that lands the 2021 MVP could go from title contender to World Series favorite overnight.

In 90 games this season, Ohtani is slashing .303/.387/.659 with 32 home runs, 71 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He's also 7-5 on the mound with a 3.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 139 strikeouts in 105.1 innings across 18 starts.

Giving up multiple top-100 prospects is a big ask of any club, but the chance to land Ohtani presents what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.