Philadelphia and Houston in the World Series.
Ho-hum.
The Fall Classic may stir some hearts in Pennsylvania and Texas, but out West, not so much.
The Phillies have a wonderful player in the previously overrated but currently underrated Bryce Harper, but they were the 11th-best team in baseball based on regular season records.
And Houston? We remember them. Will they bring their own trash cans?
I may be forced to root for the commercials.
That said, it’s time to turn the baseball calendar and look at some of the major issues for the off-season:
The Angels are for sale
Weep not for owner Arte Moreno, who will make upwards of a couple billion dollars on the sale despite shepherding a franchise that has been an annual failure on the field.
The buyer will get a pair of ultra valuable superstars in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout but holes everywhere else. Oh, Ohtani figures to be gone by next fall.
Shohei Ohtani
Yes, Angels fans, it’s sad but true. He’ll be a free agent at the end of the 2023 season, and there is no reason for him to stay in Anaheim and continue to exhibit his breathtaking brilliance for a sub-.500 team.
The Angels will make a big contract offer, I suppose, but Ohtani has repeatedly said he wants to win and that’s one thing the Angels can’t offer him.
My guess is he’s gone no later than mid-season when the Angels will get a juicy return for him.
And no team fits Ohtani better than the Dodgers, who desperately need an ace (see playoffs, 2022) and can fit him into an already loaded lineup. Plus he won’t even have to change zip codes for his home address.
Aaron Judge
How much do you give a 62-homer player? We’re about to find out. The Giants, Judge’s hometown team – he’s from Fresno — will be serious bidders, but it’s unlikely he’ll leave New York.
Fernando Tatis, Jr.
How good will the Padres be in 2023? They made it to the National League Championship Series without their best player. Tatis missed the entire season with an injury and suspension – both player mistakes.
In his last season in 2021, he hit 42 home runs, stole 25 bases and finished third in the National League MVP voting.
A middle of the lineup trio that will feature Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Tatis, who will probably play first base, will have Padres fans excited and anxious for spring training.
Dodgers need to retool
It doesn’t make sense that a 111-win team will have to remake themselves, but the Dodgers need a closer, an ace, possibly a shortstop (Trea Turner is a free agent) and probably a center fielder (Cody Bellinger’s future in L.A. is cloudy at best).
Their loaded farm system will provide some answers, but look for the Dodgers to dip into the free agent and trade markets – and this is where Ohtani comes in.
Oh yeah, back to that World Series.
Pete Donovan is a Palm Desert resident and former Los Angeles Times sports reporter. He can be reached at pwdonovan22@yahoo.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge: What does baseball future hold?