Shohei Ohtani has been a dear teammate to many since his Japanese league days. The two-way phenomenon often involves bonding with new teammates and forming lifelong connections with them; take Lars Nootbaar, for instance. One of his friends, in particular, seems to be crucial in this season’s drafting.

Shohei Ohtani first met Mike Trout at the Los Angeles Angels’ spring training camp, six years ago. Trout didn’t take much time to warm up to his teammate’s charming presence, leading to one of the rarest player, pair, and pals connections on the diamond. As Shotime commands the biggest free agency saga in MLB history, will Trout’s friendship have any possible effects on his impending contract six years down the road of the fraternity?

Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout: the band of brothers

According to the book “Shohei Ohtani: The Amazing Story of Baseball’s Two-Way Japanese Superstar,” Trout was the first to embrace Ohtani with open arms. The two used to run around Angel Stadium, with Ohtani riding shotgun on a golf cart while Trout drove them around.

Their friendship took a headstart when Shohei Ohtani’s recruitment was helped by Mike Trout over a Facetime call on the very day the latter was getting married. “Ohtani was touched, and it was the start of a bond between baseball’s best player and its most intriguing one. Instead of being chafed about sharing the spotlight with Ohtani, Trout was cheering for his signing,” writes Jay Paris.

Now that Ohtani is almost certainly parting ways with the Angels and Mike Trout may be traded if he agrees, a question comes to mind. Will Trout’s ultimate decision affect Ohtani’s choice of team?

Will the Troutani mashup prevail?

Analysts still predict a record $550 million or above for Shohei Ohtani. Colossal teams like the Mets, the Yankees, the Dodgers, and the Giants are in the race to achieve two-way talent. The Dodgers in particular have been eyeing Trout and Ohtani, intending to clinch them both for the next season’s lineup.

According to Z101 Digital, the Dodgers are pursuing the sluggers aggressively. They are “willing to give up their best prospects” to trade in Trout if that remotely increases their chance of getting Ohtani. It seems like they are pretty consistent in not letting the sluggers’ primes go to waste, like the Angels.