Another analyst says Angels should trade Ohtani for draft picks even though they can't

The Los Angeles Angels have decided they are not going to trade superstar hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani and instead try to make a run for an American League playoff spot.

That is not stopping people from suggesting that they trade him.

And multiple analysts have now suggested that they trade him for a return they literally can not make. Draft picks. 

The problem with the suggestion is that major league teams cannot trade draft picks. The only picks that are allowed to be traded are competitive balance picks, and not every team ends up getting those while there are several restrictions on how they can be dealt. It is just not a realistic trade asset. 

That is not stopping the suggestion from repeatedly being made.

Alex Rodriguez became the latest person in sports media to make the draft pick claim when he appeared on the podcast of former long-time MLB player Bret Boone. 

“I think here’s the thought that I would think about, if I was the Angels, I would want to get a bunch of draft picks, I want to load up my farm system,” Rodriguez said, via Awful Announcing. “If I’m the Angels, I’m saying, okay, you’re gonna take Ohtani, but I also want to give you some of my bad contracts. So, if I can unload a few, or one big one, and take that off the books, plus refurnish my minor league system, get some draft picks and get maybe a piece or two? Now you got something.”

This came just one week after Colin Cowherd and Jason McIntyre had an entire segment that discussed potentially trading Ohtani for multiple draft picks. They eventually learned on air that draft picks can not be traded, but only after discussing the possibility for several minutes on live TV. 

Cowherd justified his position by repeatedly saying he is a "baseball casual," which makes it a somewhat understandable mistake to make. Especially when every other major sport in North America not only allows for the trading of draft picks, but that they are also very commonly moved. 

It is understandable until you realize Cowherd is paid $6 million per year to talk about sports. 

Rodriguez making that mistake is even more baffling because he not only played 22 years in Major League Baseball, he also briefly worked as an advisor with the New York Yankees and is a paid baseball analyst. 

This should be common knowledge for him.

At the end of the day the Angels are not trading Ohtani this week, and even if they did they would not be trading him for draft picks. They are not allowed.