Jon Morosi on Chicago Cubs Trading for Shohei Ohtani : "It Wouldn't Surprise Me."

Julian Martinez: [00:00:12] OC. I also saw something fun on the timeline that really intrigued me and intrigues me more because I'm always fascinated when someone has the opportunity to escape the eternal existence that is baseball. How that is the Los Angeles Angels. So John Morosi, very highly thought of voice in Major League Baseball. He was on the Parkinson's SPIEGEL show and dropped this little nugget on the timeline. It wouldn't surprise me if Shohei Ohtani was traded to the Cubs this offseason, and all I can say is, Thank God, just get Shohei out of there. I can't stand seeing him in an Angels uniform anymore. Do you know what this man is doing? He is doing everything. He's an All-Star level pitcher. He's an All-Star level hitter. And it's hard to vote against him for the MVP, even though Judge Aaron Judge literally just hit his 52nd home run. You are so historic. You are so much of a game changer that a man hitting 52 home runs is coming in almost secondary in some voters minds. [00:01:17][64.9]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:01:18] Yeah. Yeah. I believe that Shohei Ohtani is going to have more the most home runs than the most innings pitched on the season for the Angels, which will be the first time since a pitcher who played for the Louisville Grays in 1870. It will be the first time that that is something that a player will do. [00:01:38][19.6]
Julian Martinez: [00:01:38] And a hold up that is literally a meme that Shohei Ohtani is doing stuff that the Louisville Grays did, 1920 or whatever it was. [00:01:47][8.4]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:01:47] 18, 17. [00:01:48][0.6]
Julian Martinez: [00:01:49] 1870. Mike Trout is out there hitting bombs. I think he had two the other night. And the angels are still losing 8 to 4. [00:01:56][7.1]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:01:56] Yes, this was, I believe, 11 years after the end of the Civil War, I believe was when this this happened. So, yeah, let's show you. Ohtani is incredible. And while the Cubs won is dumb like the trading to the Cubs like I know you said you're excited about Shohei Ohtani going to out of Anaheim, but do you just want him to leave Anaheim or do you want him to go to a better place? Because I can name like 12 places better than the Chicago Cubs. The Chicago Cubs are not a well-run team. [00:02:22][25.7]
Julian Martinez: [00:02:23] Okay. I hear what you're saying. I understand where you're coming from with the Chicago Cubs, but the Chicago Cubs, at least they're a valued team in Major League Baseball, their organization that has some sort of reverence. We just literally shit on the Angels every week on this podcast, and I think we are well within our rights to do so. Artie Moreno If you didn't see our last video, we sell the team because what you've done to this organization, what you've done to cripple this organization, and I swear this isn't some latent giant's hate from 2002. This is purely. [00:02:56][33.5]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:02:58] Just love for my baseball. [00:02:59][0.9]
Julian Martinez: [00:02:59] And being a historian of the game. Yes. Love for Ohtani. Well, for Trout. Just wanting to see those guys get better. It's like seeing someone in an abusive relationship. You just want them to leave that exit as you want them to leave their spouse and get into a better relationship. And the Chicago Cubs, whatever you want to say about them, lovable losers, at least they're lovable losers. They're not just losers like the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. [00:03:22][23.3]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:03:23] Yeah, but they're not a well-run organization like the Cubs will not be able to make the playoffs with Shohei Ohtani. The Chicago Cubs are terrible at baseball, and they would have to trade a future's worth of players on the majors because that's what apparently Artie Moreno wants for Shohei Ohtani. They would have to do all of that to get Ohtani. And I don't trust the Cubs to do the right thing. Even when they win the World Series with Theo Epstein and draft all those great players, they still immediately ruined everything after winning that World Series. So maybe. Okay, so so the argument I will make is Chicago is willing to spend money. Chicago's willing to invest in draft capital and expand their payroll in such a way that they can support Ohtani. But we talk about the same shit with the Anaheim Angels and it doesn't matter. So it would be better. But not solving the problem. Like if you want Ohtani to actually be on a great team, put him on the Dodgers and the Cubs will be a team that if they get Ohtani will be. [00:04:21][57.7]
Julian Martinez: [00:04:22] Holed up there. No, no, no, no. First off. No, we're not doing that. You as a Padres fan, don't even speak that into existence or help you guys better not start trying to trade for him, because we know that's when the Dodgers like to jump in at the last minute. [00:04:40][18.4]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:04:40] We have we have nothing left. Don't worry. We have nothing left to offer for sure. [00:04:44][4.0]
Julian Martinez: [00:04:45] I'll admit there are probably better situations that I would like Shohei to end up with more than the Cubs. But I think that the Cubs, obviously they went all in in 2016 and worked out for them. I and that's not too far distant in my mind. So I look at them and I think that there are at least an organization that if the timing is right, will go. All in on winning when I just don't look at the angels and think of them as a serious franchise. [00:05:11][25.7]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:05:12] Yes, I agree with you all the way through and through that. Anything better than the Angels is a healthy mindset to take with this situation. [00:05:19][7.0]
Julian Martinez: [00:05:20] So I look at around the league, I look around other situations. Of course, the the Yankees would always love to get in on that. Steve Cohen is shown a commitment to want to spend all the money in the world to make his organization a World Series contender. The Braves would have to get in on that or any of those situations would be awesome. The Cardinals obviously shown that they're willing to trade prospects to put together the best 1 to 1 in the worlds. [00:05:45][25.7]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:05:46] Houston and. [00:05:47][0.5]
Julian Martinez: [00:05:47] Houston. Yes, actually, that that would be a great turn of events, I think, Houston. But there is the caveat there. Would the Angels trade within the division? I know. [00:05:57][9.9]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:05:57] I know that one would have to be free agency, that one would have to be free agency next year. [00:06:01][3.9]
Julian Martinez: [00:06:01] And that's that's an option. Before we get too ahead of ourselves, we do know that at least Shohei Ohtani could be a free agent by the end of the 2023 season. So I would love to see him get moved at the winter meetings. I think that that would almost need to be. To me, I think that that would be perfect for the angels in terms of maximizing his value rather than waiting for the deadline. And then people have to weigh the option of Do I just want rental peace in Ohtani or do I want him for the entire season? I think if you try and shop him around this winter, you're already Marino, you're there general manager. You try shopping around this winter, this is where you're going to get the most bang for your buck. Yeah, the Astros will make a lot of sense because they obviously have the prospects. They have the farm system to be able to acquire a guy like that without crippling their roster. So that that's actually a great suggestion, honestly, that I think that I think that's a good one. [00:06:53][51.6]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:06:53] Kyle Yeah, I think Houston would be fun. I am obviously more pro Astros than people who are, you know, clutching their pearls about a cheating scandal. But I think that I understand the point of anything, anywhere but the angels is a strategy to take. It is understandable that we just want to see Ohtani somewhere else. But is it to escape from the angels, or is it to have Ohtani play on one of the best teams in baseball? Because obviously Mookie Betts and Trey Turner and Freddie Freeman were all acquired by the Dodgers recently. And, you know, some people really care about the Dodgers, but we know that that's a lineup that is incredibly good. And if you add Ohtani, would it make anyone more interested in the Dodgers? Would it make the Dodgers more of a postseason threat? I'm not sure what the perfect answer is for for what? The best team for. Okay. [00:07:41][48.1]
Julian Martinez: [00:07:41] I think that a guy like Ohtani is just a guy that people like to root for and those guys, you like to see them get rewarded. And I think a perfect reward for a guy that already has a MVP, a guy that, you know, getting a present for a guy that already has everything right would be a World Series ring just because there's so many legends that come and go and never have an opportunity to be on a World Series contender. I don't want him to get Barry Bonds by the time he's out of his prime. I want him to have an opportunity to compete for a ring. So I'm actually pulled up a list of the top rankings of farm systems. So the cardinals are actually the second best farm system. So they actually have some ammunition if they wanted to make a move to pick up Ohtani. Then you mentioned the Dodgers. They're the third ranked tigers, but tigers have a lot to do on the major league roster. The Rangers same thing. And the Rangers have the same issues of trading and division that obviously the Astros have, but they're further away. The Mets are the sixth best farm system, so they have prospects that they can trade and obviously they have a great Major League roster as currently constructed as well. Assuming deGrom and Scherzer and everyone stays healthy, twins are up there. The twins seem to be fighting their way up, so that wouldn't be a bad spot for him to end up in terms of up and comer Yankees at nine and the Tampa Bay Rays at ten. But I just don't see Kaplan making a move like that. [00:08:59][77.5]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:08:59] Tampa could they they gave Tyler Glass now $25 million which I will bet you any amount of money he will not play. [00:09:06][6.6]
Julian Martinez: [00:09:06] It just would be uncharacteristic for their organization to make that move. I, I, I can't name like a trade of that level that they made off the top of my head. I know there's a couple that exist. I know they went out there and got Nelson Cruz a couple of years ago, but still kind of low level, very sabermetrics based moves. But obviously, Shohei is great for sabermetrics too, so I don't think that that's really a bad thing for the quote unquote spreadsheet nerds. The of the rank system is the Cleveland Guardians. So now let's get on an up and comer. But I actually value the Cleveland organization more than I value the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I think. [00:09:46][39.7]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:09:46] I think I think angels are dead last in your book and. [00:09:49][3.3]
Julian Martinez: [00:09:50] They are they are they are so hell your Padres at 13. My Giants at 12. My Giants have been linked to them a lot. But I think that post Posey it's going to be a rebuild. So selfishly yes I could root for him and obviously he's the guy I root for. Even though he's not on my team. But I think it would be hard for him to make a turn. So I'm not even going to root for that. I'm just going to hope for the best possible trade. And if it's the Giants. Cool, cool beans. I'm not going to be mad about it. [00:10:19][29.3]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:10:19] I understand that point. And again, this was all about the Cubs, but you just listed off like ten teams that would be more appealing than the Cubs. And at the same time, I understand the anyone but Anaheim perspective on getting Shohei Ohtani out of there. [00:10:33][14.0]
Julian Martinez: [00:10:34] See, and I wonder too, like any Angels fan that is watching this, if they're just looking at us shitting or they're like, Yeah, they're right. [00:10:40][5.8]
Kyle Ledbetter: [00:10:41] Now, Angels fans know at this point they know it. [00:10:43][2.0]
Julian Martinez: [00:10:43] That's all. Like the Angels are a very self depreciating type fanbase or at least respect that type of humor. So thank you, Angels fans. Oprah, you're tuning in. Honestly, I mean, as much as painful as it would be to see Shohei Ohtani in a different uniform, I'm sure. I'd love to hear an Angel fan of the comment to say Where would they like to see it? Shall we end up going back to what John he said? If you're a Cubs fan, how do you like your chances of landing Shohei Ohtani? Drop that below. Anyway, guys, a fun segment here hoping to do this for you, Shohei. Get our baseball hall from Juju talk sports Kyle Ledbetter Stay safe, happy and healthy. Was he on the next one? [00:10:43][0.0]
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