Dodgers Rumors: Jeff Passan stokes Shohei Ohtani trade fire

I think it's fair to say that most Los Angeles Dodgers fans are keeping one eye on David Roberts' ball club on a nightly basis while at the same time being on the lookout for anything that might suggest Shohei Ohtani will soon be wearing Dodger blue.

These latest Dodgers rumors will certainly excite the LA fanbase and wouldn't even require Ohtani to change his address. Leave it to Jeff Passan of ESPN to stoke fire surrounding Ohtani's future.

Passan is widely respected as one of best insiders in all of baseball, so when he speaks, MLB fans tend to listen. While appearing on ESPN's Get Up last week, Passan said the only number that matters when it comes to the future of Ohtani is the LA Angels' win-loss record.

Dodgers Rumors: Jeff Passan stokes Shohei Ohtani trade fire

So here's what it boils down to: if you're a fan of the Dodgers, you need to root for the Angels to lose every single game they play until July 31. Why? Because if the Angels are in contention, or have a sliver of hope of making it the playoffs, Passan believes it's unlikely they would trade their superstar.

For those unaware, Ohtani is in the final year of his contract with the Angels and will be a free agent after the 2023 season. Once Ohtani hits the market, we're likely to see the Japanese-born star sign a record-setting deal that will likely top $500 million.

As far as Dodgers fans are concerned, the more the losses the Angels pile up, the more likely Ohtani is traded this summer. If you don't think it's possible, just look at last year's deadline that saw Juan Soto dealt to the San Diego Padres.

In these latest Dodgers rumors, Passan names Los Angeles and the New York Mets as the top two contenders for Shohei Ohtani's services. Other teams mentioned are the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants, and Seattle Mariners. From a trade standpoint, the Dodgers likely have the most to offer. Wouldn't a package of Diego Cartaya, Bobby Miller, Andy Pages and Maddux Bruns seal the deal while also allowing LA to keep some of their most prized young prospects?

So there you have it, Dodgers fans. The quickest way for Ohtani to take that trip up I-5 from Angel Stadium to Dodger Stadium is for the Angels to keep on losing. That shouldn't be too hard, as the club hasn't had a winning season since 2015.