The Padres nearly landed Shohei Ohtani before the Dodgers did.
Back in 2022, when San Diego was working on the blockbuster Juan Soto trade, they were simultaneously pursuing Ohtani from the Angels, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Angels owner Arte Moreno ultimately rejected the proposal, but the Padres were ready to go all-in on acquiring the two-way superstar.
“For Ohtani, Padres general manager A.J. Preller might have parted with a comparable or even better package (than Soto)… (Jackson) Merrill was part of the trade discussions, according to sources briefed on the talks. It’s not out of the question the Padres would have included him if Moreno was willing to go forward.”
That’s significant. Merrill, now a budding star for San Diego, would’ve headlined a package to the Angels that likely mirrored what the Nationals received for Soto.
The Soto deal sent lefty MacKenzie Gore, shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder James Wood to Washington, among others. A similar haul plus Merrill would’ve represented a franchise-altering influx of talent for an Angels team desperate to build around Mike Trout.
It’s worth wondering if Ohtani in San Diego would’ve changed the NL West landscape. The Padres have struggled to keep pace with the Dodgers despite their aggressive moves. Would Ohtani have been enough to shift that balance?
Of course, none of this would’ve necessarily prevented the Dodgers from signing Ohtani in free agency last winter. But maybe a successful stint with the Padres would’ve altered his decision-making process.
What makes this particularly interesting is imagining how differently things might’ve played out for both franchises. The Angels could’ve accelerated their rebuild while the Padres might’ve found the missing piece to truly challenge their division rivals.
We’ll never know, but it’s fascinating to consider how close it came to happening.
