Shohei Ohtani Trade Rumors: Dodgers Covet Angels Star; Called Rangers' 'White Whale'

The MLB trade deadline is one week away, and multiple teams are reportedly holding out hope that they will be able to land Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Los Angeles Dodgers "covet" Ohtani, while the Texas Rangers consider him to be "their white whale."

Passan noted that the thought of Angels owner Arte Moreno trading Ohtani to the crosstown Dodgers "is entirely far-fetched." However, the Dodgers have a need for "a rental arm to join Julio Urias and an on-the-mend Clayton Kershaw in their October rotation." Passan also pointed to recent history that has seen the Dodgers make splash moves at the trade deadline, which could indicate that they're planning for another one this year.

"Los Angeles, with its recent Machado/Darvish/Turner/Scherzer deadline mic drops, has proven rather adept at keeping its best prospects in big deals, so perhaps the Dodgers have something up their sleeve," Passan stated.

The Rangers, meanwhile, "have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball." After missing the playoffs for the last six straight seasons, Texas currently leads the AL West with a 59-42 record and is believed to have "the most prolific offense in baseball." Adding a star like Ohtani could put the team over the top as World Series contenders.

Despite the rampant interest in the 29-year-old phenom, the Angels are reportedly not close to a decision. According to MLB.com's Jon Morosi, the team's internal discussions about whether to be buyers or sellers at the Aug. 1 deadline "remain ongoing." Morosi added that a decision on moving Ohtani likely won't come until after this week's series against the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays.

If the Angels don't trade Ohtani, they run the risk of losing him for nothing in free agency after this season.