Yankees among teams who asked about Shohei Ohtani, whose sudden unavailability came as a surprise
In recent days, teams calling the Los Angeles Angels to express interest in Shohei Ohtani were told that the Angels were in a holding pattern until after this weekend’s series in Toronto, according to two league sources, one a general manager.
Ohtani’s availability, or lack thereof, would be more clear on Sunday night or Monday morning.
The Yankees were one of the many teams inquiring about Ohtani, according to sources. They had been serious about acquiring the two-way superstar since last summer, when they made what one source called the most aggressive trade offer for Ohtani.
The Yankees are reluctant to incur further financial penalties by ending the season over the top luxury tax threshold, an outlook that will factor into their trade deadline activity. But a player as elite as Ohtani would have provoked a different internal calculation.
Few in baseball expected Angels owner Arte Moreno to consent to an Ohtani trade, but the report that surfaced Wednesday evening from Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci caught several potential trading partners by surprise, sources say.
The report stated that Ohtani was no longer on the market. Hours later, the Angels solidified their status as buyers by adding starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez from the White Sox.
Teams salivating over the prospect of adding Ohtani for the stretch run always understood that it was a long shot -- but expected the possibility to stretch into early next week.
The Angels are 52-49, four games out of the third wild card spot.
