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

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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