Shohei Ohtani, Tampa Bay Ray? The proposed 2023 deadline deal that would’ve shocked baseball

Key Points:

• Before the 2023 trade deadline, the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels seriously discussed a blockbuster trade sending Shohei Ohtani to the Rays in exchange for top prospects Junior Caminero and Carson Williams, but Angels owner Arte Moreno declined to proceed.
• Moreno's refusal to trade Ohtani, despite previous opportunities including a similar deal with the San Diego Padres in 2022, resulted in the Angels losing Ohtani to free agency without significant compensation, only receiving a late first-round draft pick.
• The Rays viewed acquiring Ohtani as a transformative move that could elevate them to World Series contenders, but after the trade failed, injuries and off-field issues affected key players, and Ohtani himself suffered major injuries that ended his pitching season.
• The Angels' decision to keep Ohtani and instead make midseason acquisitions backfired, as the team struggled and finished with a losing record, while the Rays secured a wild-card spot but were swept in the postseason.
• Junior Caminero emerged as a top young slugger for the Rays, highlighting what the Angels missed out on by refusing the trade, underscoring the long-term implications of Moreno's repeated decisions not to trade Ohtani.