Yankees Rumors: Could Bombers pull off Shohei Ohtani blockbuster?

What would a Yankees trade for Shohei Ohtani look like?

Judging by the boilerplate “Your Top Four Prospects” scenario, the Yankees would likely be surrendering Anthony Volpe, Jasson Dominguez, Oswald Peraza, and Austin Wells for two playoff runs’ worth of Ohtani.

If that package seems a bit unsatisfying, though, it’s because the Yankees’ “top four prospects” include a pair of shortstops, as well as a bat-first unknown quantity in Wells. The Angels would likely require some modifications here in a best-case scenario, as well as some extra prospect capital from the back end of the team’s top 30.

Volpe, Dominguez and Wells would be included in any hypothetical trade, and perhaps the Peraza conundrum will be solved by shipping him to Cincinnati instead, in exchange for Luis Castillo. In any scenario where the Bombers acquire both Ohtani and Castillo, it’s possible the entire Top 10 ends up departing the system.

In order to meet and exceed the rumored Ohtani asking price (which you just know is going to grow and change as more teams realize the talks are legitimate), what about a package of Volpe, Dominguez, Wells, Ken Waldichuk, Hayden Wesneski, and Randy Vasquez? That’s two projectable bats, two top-end starters, a lottery ticket pitcher with beautiful stuff, and a potential Day One star in Volpe.

Does it sound like enough, even for one season of the phenom? Not really! This is an impossible-to-gauge trade with zero precedent. But if it’s four top prospects the Angels are seeking, they might be tickled by this ripe package.

As for the Yankees chances in this conversation, specifically, things get a bit more complicated.