Brewers: 3 Bold Trade Proposals To Get Shohei Ohtani To Milwaukee

The hottest name in baseball is Shohei Ohtani. There are many reasons for that. His prowess as a hitter, as a pitcher, the fact that he's arguably the best player in baseball history, and the fact that the Los Angeles Angels might trade him.

The Angels have thoroughly wasted Ohtani's prime, just like they've done with Mike Trout. Ohtani is a free agent at the end of the year and the Angels once again are on the outside looking in on the playoffs. Rumors have it, the Angels are open to trading Ohtani.

This would not be a typical rental, because you're not acquiring a typical player. Reports are, in return for Ohtani, the Angels are seeking Top 100 prospects. Plural. It just so happens the Brewers have multiple Top 100 prospects in their farm system.

Now there are a lot of reasons why the Brewers being the team that lands Shohei Ohtani is unlikely. First, it's unlikely the Angels even trade him to begin with. Second, there are a lot of other teams who will want him and the Brewers don't win a lot of bidding wars. Third, the Brewers have no shot at signing Ohtani to a long-term deal, so they would know it's a pure rental and may not want to part with their Top 100 prospects just for a couple months of one player.

But, again, this is Shohei Ohtani. This will be the only opportunity a team like the Brewers has at acquiring one of the best to ever play the game. The Brewers were heavily involved in trade talks for Juan Soto last year and were willing to part with the prospects to get a franchise changing player.

The Brewers are at the very least, likely to check in on Ohtani's market to see what it would take to get the two-way superstar to Milwaukee. There's a very strong chance the Brewers aren't willing to part with their top prospects just for a rental. They were willing to get involved in the Soto market because he had 2.5 years of control, not 2.5 months. If they do get involved, what could it take to land Ohtani in a Brewers uniform?

Based on what the Angels are looking for, here are a couple of trade proposals that the Brewers could make to Los Angeles to make the bold move to get Shohei Ohtani.

Trade Proposal #1: C Jeferson Quero and OF Sal Frelick to the Angels for Shohei Ohtani

This would be a heavy cost to the Brewers, taking two of their top three prospects for a couple months of Ohtani. Frelick is a top 20 prospect in all of baseball and Jeferson Quero isn't far behind. Quero's arguably the Crew's best performing prospect this year, hitting .294/.371/.509 with 13 homers in Double-A Biloxi.

These two prospects being included in the trade would be a very good return for Los Angeles with their pedigree, high ceiling, and proximity to the big leagues.

The Brewers have William Contreras behind the plate and he's under team control through the 2027 season. The catcher position is well taken care of, so Milwaukee could afford to include him in trade talks. While they certainly won't look to part with him for just anyone, Ohtani is not just anyone.

Frelick could be in a similar situation. With Joey Wiemer and Garrett Mitchell in the fold, along with the new and improved Christian Yelich, the Brewers could afford to lose one of their outfield prospects in a trade. Although, again, the Brewers won't be looking to deal Frelick, they could lose him and still be fine in the outfield. Plus, Milwaukee still keeps Jackson Chourio in this deal, so centerfield should be more than handled.

If the Angels want multiple top 100 prospects for Ohtani, this kind of package from the Brewers could intrigue them. But let's look at a couple other possibilities.

Trade Proposal #3: OF Jackson Chourio to the Angels for Shohei Ohtani

Now, keep in mind, this isn't to say that the Brewers *should* do this, but it would certainly be bold and very interesting.

While the Angels did say they wanted multiple top 100 prospects for Ohtani, they would be getting a consensus Top 3 prospect in all of baseball in this deal, which is not a deal any other team can offer, unless the Reds are willing to part with Elly De La Cruz or the Orioles with Jackson Holliday.

The Brewers aren't likely to offer up Chourio either, but it would allow them to acquire Ohtani while keeping four of their five Top 100 prospects. Yes, they'd lose the best one in Chourio, but a chance at Ohtani could end up being worth it.

A straight up, one for one deal involving players of this magnitude would seem unprecedented. Then again, a player like Ohtani is unprecedented and a trade of him even more so. It depends on what the Angels are looking for. Do they want quality or quantity? Given LAA's need for players at several positions, opting for quantity may be the smart choice.

If they're going to lose a star in Ohtani, they may be better off trying to replace him with a star, and Chourio has star written all over him.

The Brewers would be trading their superstar of the future for three months of a superstar now. It doesn't sound like a trade that Milwaukee would be willing to make, especially knowing they won't sign Ohtani long-term. But it's a bold idea that could just maybe deliver the Brewers their first World Series.