While all eyes will be on the start of perhaps the biggest Subway Series in recent history tonight, there’s been some bombshell news to emerge out of Mets land. Per Jim Bowden of CBS, New York Mets General Manager Billy Eppler has been in contact with the Angels about superstar Shohei Ohtani.

Yes, you read that correctly. According to Bowden, Eppler has been in touch with his former team to try to put feelers out in regards to the potential availability of one of the most talented and exciting players in the entire sport.

Now, before we delve in further, there are a couple of things to note here. Firstly; Eppler was of course the General Manager of the Angels from 2015 to 2020 and he was the guy who brought Ohtani to America in 2017.

Secondly; Bowden was a Major League GM for 16 years so he has skin in the game and, therefore, his report that he’s talked to several GMs who believe Ohtani could be dealt before the trade deadline should carry some weight. Bowden, speaking on CBS, stressed that he’s been told the Angels are listening to offers despite what they may say otherwise, and the Mets are thought to be a potential big-time player.

Per Bowden, the Mets would make sense because Eppler already has a pretty close relationship with Ohtani, and it was also reported that Eppler would be keen on bringing the star to Queens be it before the Trade Deadline, in the winter, or when Ohtani becomes a free agent after the 2023 season.

Bowden also mentioned that whoever misses out on star outfielder Juan Soto could be tempted to pitch a blockbuster offer to the Angels in order to land what would be a pretty good consolation prize.

Reports about Ohtani’s future have started to swirl in recent days. With the Angels mired in baseball purgatory and seemingly headed nowhere, there is a school of thought that they could be tempted to trade one of the most unique talents in all of sports in order to bolster an empty farm system and hopefully spark bright new days ahead for a franchise that consistently fails to win, despite boasting two of the best players on the planet on the roster.

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As Bowden also mentioned, Ohtani wants to win now and he would be reluctant to re-sign with the Angels in 2023 unless they can prove they are a legit World Series contender. That seems unlikely given how bad they’ve been this year, so maybe the looming fear that the 2021 AL MVP could walk for nothing has sparked the Angels into action now in order to ensure they don’t just let a generational talent walk out of the door without getting anything substantial back in return.

What is interesting to note is that, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Angels wouldn’t be interested in a complete teardown because of the fact that they have Mike Trout under a long-term contract, so they would be looking for established Major League players rather than a bumper package featuring mainly prospects and futures. That could mean an Ohtani deal doesn’t get done until the offseason, if at all.

But, if you are the Mets, and indeed any team in baseball, it is worth doing your due diligence and keeping an eye on the situation given just how special a player Ohtani is. For starters, he’s already pretty much established himself as the best two-way player in the history of the sport and he would provide any team with a legitimate weapon both at the plate and on the mound. Those kinds of players don’t come around all that often. Given that Babe Ruth was the last great two-way player in the sport, we’re talking decades and decades here.

Since June 9, Ohtani has a .941 OPS and nine home runs as a hitter and a 1.57 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 46 innings as a pitcher. That’s just incredible. Furthermore, he’s currently slashing .256/.346/.486 with 57 RBI, 10 stolen bases, 16 doubles, two triples, and a .831 OPS. He owns a 2.80 ERA on the year with 134 strikeouts in 93.1 innings pitched and an ERA+ of 143, which is a career-high. He’s just a special, special talent.

Put simply, you don’t pass up on a player like that if he becomes available. Forget team needs or even fit, there is room for a generational talent like Ohtani on every single MLB roster and he would give the Mets a two-way threat they’ve never even dreamed of having before. Those kinds of opportunities come around once in a lifetime.

It is worth stressing that this doesn’t mean Ohtani will get moved before August 2, or that he will even get moved full-stop. But there is no smoke without fire and you have to give credit to Eppler for being proactive and checking in with the Angels. Again, he was the guy that brought Ohtani to MLB in the first place and the two have a pretty close relationship. If the 28-year-old is moved, then that could end up being a pretty big factor.

This is another situation worth keeping an eye on but you can’t fault the Mets for asking the question just in case something does happen. Fortune favors the brave and it does no harm in picking up the phone and seeing what is going on given the upside in any trade for Ohtani.

The two-time All-Star is nothing like we’ve ever seen before and just imagine how much brighter his star would shine in New York, let alone what his talents could do to a team that is looking for a first World Series title since 1986.