Report Surfaces Of Angels-Rays Proposed 2023 Trade Involving Ohtani, Junior Caminero

The Los Angeles Angels had the luxury of seeing two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani begin his legendary MLB career in Anaheim. As his tenure in Anaheim reached its end, it seemed evident that Ohtani would hit free agency and open up the biggest sweepstakes the game had ever seen. That was indeed what happened, and although the Angels were in the running, Ohtani signed a whopping 10-year, $700 million deal to go to the Dodgers.

Since then, Ohtani's stardom has gone through the roof, and he is a two-time World Series winner as well as a four-time MVP and in the running this season for both the National League MVP and the NL Cy Young award. However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic dropped a bombshell report stating that the Angels almost traded Ohtani to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2023 in exchange for star prospect Junior Caminero, who made the AL All-Star team last season as a rookie. "A blockbuster involving those players, carrying mammoth implications for both clubs, was seriously discussed before the 2023 trade deadline, according to people briefed on the conversations," Rosenthal wrote as part of a lengthy piece.

The deal also would've sent shortstop Carson Williams to Anaheim, but it turns out that Angels owner Arte Moreno turned down the deal. "For the second straight year, Angels owner Arte Moreno decided against trading Ohtani, only to lose him to the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent four months later," Rosenthal added. As crazy as it might sound, the Rays should be thanking their lucky stars that they did not land Shohei Ohtani.

Before the 2023 trade deadline, Tampa Bay was in serious discussions with the Angels on a deal that would have included Junior Caminero, but Arte Moreno declined the… pic. twitter. com/x413JpDQ9g — The Athletic MLB (@TheAthleticMLB) May 21, 2026 In the end, the Angels saw Ohtani walk away for nothing at the end of the 2023 season.