3 ways the SF Giants could force a trade for Shohei Ohtani

The Giants could build a package around Kyle Harrison

Normally, trading a borderline top 10 prospect in all of baseball like Kyle Harrison for a guy that could be a free agent at the end of season is not a good idea. However, there is nothing normal about Shohei Ohtani and to get the Angels' attention, the Giants need to be willing to part with big time talent.

Harrison has almost everything you want from a pitching prospect. He has three pitches that at least flash plus, is already at Triple-A knocking at the door of the big leagues, and he does so with his left arm which never hurts. His command can be a bit spotty at times, but the upside is undeniable.

This would be a tough pill for the Giants to swallow, but Ohtani may be worth it. San Francisco is in need of another starting pitcher and Harrison appeared to be a mortal lock to get called up soon. However, a hamstring injury right before the All-Star break is delaying his big league debut. Ohtani would immediately give the rotation arm the Giants need plus the added bonus of also getting one of the better power bats in the entire league.

What is crazy is that Harrison probably wouldn't be enough to get a deal done, but a package centered around him is a good place to start. The nice thing about Ohtani is that he fills two needs which makes the initial investment required feel better if you think about trading for him as trading for two elite players.

Putting Marco Luciano and Luis Matos on the table could give the Giants a shot at landing Ohtani

While the Angels have been active in trying to bring more pitching into their organization, there is a chance that they will want to avoid pitching prospects being the centerpiece of any Ohtani trade. No matter how good a pitching prospect is, they are always incredibly risky between the jump in competition as well the usual injury risk.

If that is where the Angels' heads are at, the Giants still have the pieces to make a deal work with five of their top 10 prospects being on the position player side. In particular, Luis Matos and Marco Luciano could be very attractive to the Angels as well-known commodities with tons of upside.

Matos got called up to the big leagues earlier this season and has been pretty good, but his hit tool should be able to carry him to even greater heights. Marco Luciano has been one of the Giants' best prospects for a while now and while he has largely struggled at Double-A this season, he has played much better recently and still has the same tools including special raw power he has always had.

To make the Angels consider a trade for Ohtani, it is possible that San Francisco may have to offer both Matos and Luciano and that may be too much for them to stomach. However, If you were to say the Giants gave up Luciano for a high-end starter and Matos for an elite power bat, it makes more sense.

To give up this kind of package, though, the Giants would probably need some level of assurance that Ohtani is at least strongly considering signing long-term with the Giants as giving up long-term options at shortstop and in the outfield is a lot to give up.

Being willing to take on Anthony Rendon's contract could be the ultimate X-factor for the Giants

This is the "break glass in case of an emergency" option that the Giants could employ to get a deal for Ohtani done. The one thing that is clear is that the Giants have money to spend and a willingness to spend it. Keeping Ohtani beyond this season is already likely to require a record-breaking contract. However, if the Giants really want to force the Angels' hand, one way to do it is to offer to take on Anthony Rendon's contract.

To be clear, Rendon's contract is awful. He is owed $38 million a year through the 2026 season and given that he hasn't been able to stay healthy nor has he posted an OPS higher than .712 in any of the last three seasons, it is no wonder that his deal is considered one of the worst contracts in all of baseball.

The rationale here is simple: if the Angels are going to lose Ohtani anyways, the best thing they can do is free up their payroll to try and try to make splashes in other ways while Mike Trout is still around. With Rendon's contract eating up that much space on their ledger, building a competitive roster is a whole lot more difficult with his contract on their books.

For the Giants, this sort of move would be pretty desperate. In fact, it is the one factor in an Ohtani trade that would probably need to necessitate the Angels sending more than just Ohtani to make happen. This option also seems to be the least likely. This Giants organization is generally very smart with how they invest their funds and if they nixed Correa's deal because of his ankle, they are not likely to enjoy what they see on Rendon's physical. However, if they see any potential in getting Rendon right, then this is an option that could work.

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