David Ortiz Doesn’t See Red Sox Pursuing Shohei Ohtani

There’s been a lot of talk about Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani, and Red Sox fans might be wondering whether or not he could join Boston in the near future.

There are rumors the Angels could deal the superstar ahead of the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline to avoid the possibility of losing him for nothing. Ohtani is set to become a free agent this offseason.

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was asked Thursday how he felt about Boston’s chances of acquiring Ohtani.

“Well, the reality is that you’re talking about the best player on earth,” Ortiz told WEEI “The Greg Hill Show,” as transcribed by NBC Sports Boston’s Darren Hartwell. “And to be able to get Shohei, I mean — you know that we are rebuilding.

“… The reality is that to get Shohei, whoever decides to get him is going to have to give away a lot. And the Red Sox right now, we are trying to rebuild the farm. We have some good candidates coming up from the farm, and that’s something that I don’t know (if) the front office has discussed that.”

While Ohtani would bring his talents on both sides of the field, Ortiz believes it’s unlikely Boston will deal up-and-coming talent for the 29-year-old.

Who knows how it could work out in free agency, though? Kenley Jansen spent some time talking to Ohtani during the MLB All-Star festivities in Seattle and said their conversations went “really good.”

It was also reported Thursday that the rival New York Yankees could be a landing spot for Ohtani.

It’ll be interesting to see where Ohtani ends up as the deadline approaches.