Major League Baseball

New York Yankees made serious play for Shohei Ohtani

Updated Aug. 1, 2022 6:56 p.m. ET

The New York Yankees are in the midst of a historic season, on pace for 108 wins and a runaway American League East title.

But that apparently isn't stopping the Bronx Bombers from seeking to improve, as they made a "serious" offer to the Los Angeles Angels for superstar Shohei Ohtani, the New York Post reported.

The Angels, mired in fourth place in the AL West at 43-59, had reportedly been mulling offers for Ohtani, the rare two-way player who dominates on the mound (9-6, 2.83 ERA) and at the plate (.255 average with 22 homers). The San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox also made offers for Ohtani, but the Angels have decided to keep their star, the Post reported.

The report didn't detail what the Yankees' offer for Ohtani was. Later Monday, New York bolstered its starting rotation by acquiring Frankie Montas of the Oakland A's.

Montas is 4-9 with a 3.18 ERA and was considered one of the top pitchers on the market.

The Yankees have also inquired about Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals, the Post reported. Soto is the grand prize of the trade deadline. The 23-year-old All-Star is hitting .243 with 23 homers and an OPS+ of 154 and is under club control for two more seasons.

The Yankees (69-34) currently lead the AL East by 11.5 games, although they narrowly lead the Houston Astros (67-36) in the race for the best record in the American League.

The MLB trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.