Batting Around: Which team could use Shohei Ohtani the most at MLB's trade deadline?

The two-way superstar would upgrade every team, but who needs him the most?

Throughout the season the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we discussed whether the Angels should trade Shohei Ohtani. This week we're going to debate which teams needs him most.

Which team could most use Ohtani at the trade deadline?

R.J. Anderson: For the sake of my answer, I'm treating "need" to mean: "Ohtani could make the difference between reaching the postseason or not." From that perspective, I think there's a case to be made for roughly a handful of teams: the Yankees, Mariners, Reds, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Mets. You can argue the Padres and Mets are too far out to recover, with or without Ohtani. Fair enough. If that's the case, though, then I'd probably say the Yankees: they're a few games out; they're in a hellacious division; and getting Ohtani for themselves fixes two holes and keeps him away from their competition. Of course, with all that established, it would be more fun to see him wind up on one of these dark horse teams, like the Reds or Diamondbacks, for the stretch run.

Matt Snyder: The Marlins are right in the thick of the playoff race and haven't made the playoffs in a full season since 2003. They hit well in the batting average department (thanks in large part to the great Luis Arraez, obviously) but they lag behind in slugging and home runs. Ohtani would be an amazing left-handed complement to the Marlins' only legitimate slugger in Jorge Soler. Throwing Ohtani in that rotation can really lock things in, too, with hopes for a ridiculous playoff rotation of Ohtani, Sandy Alcantara, Jesus Luzardo and a returning Eury Pérez. 

It won't happen, right? But if we're going pie-in-the-sky, Ohtani on the Marlins would be excellent. 

Dayn Perry: I have to say the Yankees. They badly, badly need another impact bat in that lineup, particularly with Aaron Judge still injured, and Ohtani appears to be at the peak of his skills as a hitter. On the pitching side, the Yankees also need additional rotation depth, and Ohtani provides that, as well. I think you can also make a case for the Astros, what with their injury-riddled rotation and their need for another bat given Michael Brantley's health woes. However, the horrid nature of the Yankee lineup right now gives them the nod.

Mike Axisa: The teams on the postseason bubble -- Giants, Marlins, Reds, Yankees, etc. -- need Ohtani most because they're at a place on the win curve where every win added at the deadline improves their postseason odds significantly. The "correct" answer is one of those teams, probably the Yankees given their glaring needs on both sides of the ball.

I'm going to say the Dodgers need him most, however. They badly need another starting pitcher, an impact guy who could start Game 1 or 2 in October, and the bottom of their lineup is surprisingly thin many days. Fitting Ohtani and J.D. Martinez into the lineup would take creativity, but Shohei is so good that you get him and figure out how it works later. Clayton Kershaw is going year-to-year at this point in his career, Julio Urías will be a free agent after the season, and Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman only have so many prime years remaining. I think the Dodgers could most use Ohtani as they look to win a title with this core in place.