The Orioles need to trade for Shohei Ohtani, and Christian Pulisic in Milan

Sure, it’s completely ridiculous. But being a baseball fan is about being ridiculous and, before owners crushed our spirits, discussing trades used to be the most fun part. Are the Angels going to admit that thanks to Mike Trout’s injury on top of all their others that it’s probably over for them? No, they probably won’t. And they won’t cash in on only a couple months of Shohei Ohtani because the return wouldn’t actually be the haul that it would have been in the winter or even last deadline.

Would the Os, who have merely been an empty beer can the Angelos siblings hurl at each other as an insult, ever make that kind of splash? No, that would be 500 times more emotion and caring than the Orioles’ owner has ever shown. They had a chance to grab a playoff spot last year and waved as it went past. And even if their eyes got big at the s uddenly widening avenue that the route through the AL to the World Series is becoming, they assuredly wouldn’t be forking over the $600-700 million that Ohtani is going to be asking for come this winter.

To all of that…who gives a fuck?

Whatever the cost of Ohtani for a couple months, the Os can pay it. They are loaded with prospects, they don’t have room for all of them, which is the product of punting four or five seasons as the Orioles have. Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Colton Cowser, and Jordan Westburg are already up. Still in waiting are Heston Kjerstad (.979 OPS in AA and AAA so far this year), Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo, Connor Norby, and that’s not even it. They don’t all fit.

If it cost two or three of them for just two months of Ohtani, what would the Os really be out? What is this team missing? A bonafide ace. If Grayson Rodriguez’s revival after being sent back to AAA (37 percent K-rate there) translates to when he comes back up, and Ohtani, and Bradish, Wells, and Gibson piecing together the rest, with the Baltimore pen? That could be something. Oh, and Ohtani hits a little too, maybe you’ve heard.

And who is Baltimore afraid of? There’s Tampa and what else? The Astros don’t hit like we might think they do. The Rangers are the Orioles but with a couple starters. The Yankees may be without Aaron Judge for the rest of the season, and they’re staring at the Os’ ass already in the standings.

It shouldn’t even be a ridiculous notion for the Orioles to try and sign Ohtani long-term, even if his preference is to remain on the West Coast. The Orioles roster is about to be filled with cost controlled players they developed. Their highest paid player under contract next year is their fucking backup catcher James McCann at $12 million. They have $18 million committed to the roster for 2024, before arbitration and other non-free agent deals have to be cut. Which will hardly be anything. Handing Ohtani $50 million a year would hardly be crippling. Hand him $60 or $70 million, the Os have it to play with.

Most of all, Orioles fans deserve the bone. They had to sit through one of the most cynical teardowns in the sport’s history, while simultaneously watching their team be in the center of a rich kids’ pissing contest, and hear whispers of the team being dangled to Nashville even though they play in one of the most gorgeous parks in MLB. Baltimore is screaming to be an Orioles town again, and nothing would pull that trigger harder than acquiring Ohtani, even for a matter of weeks.

Perhaps no team has less to lose in a deadline pursuit of Shoei. Arguably, the Orioles have the most to gain. Buy the ticket and take the ride.

It would appear that Christian Pulisic’s move to AC Milan is nearing the finish line, and it appears a glossier opportunity than it once did. Mostly that’s because the buzz has been that manager Stefano Pioli wants to deploy Pulisic as a straight #10, to replace Brahim Diaz, who has returned to Real Madrid.

It certainly would be a rather large gap to try and plug for Captain America, the creative fulcrum for a European giant that still harbors dreams of winning Serie A and at least making serious noise in the Champions League. Especially when they’re just coming off a semifinal appearance.

Pulisic has rarely, if ever, asked to play in the middle, certainly almost never at Chelsea. It’s not that he can’t, because his swagger with the ball certainly indicates he can play there. His habit of cutting in from the left to get to the middle already has had him in similar positions. There’s also a gap on the right of Milan’s attack, where they’ve never really found a counterpart to Rafale Leao on the left. Pulisic has rarely been a straight out winger, but it’s not beyond him.

This is the move Pulisic wanted, turning down Lyon’s cash. The chance is great, but so is the challenge. Serie A is rarely a patient place.

Follow Sam on Twitter @Felsgate to see what else gets erased.