Why MLB fans must keep eye on Angels, Padres

Do you remember the 2011 MLB wild-card chase?

On the final day of the regular season, the Tampa Bay Rays earned a postseason spot by defeating the New York Yankees on 12th-inning homer by Evan Longoria. Earlier, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros to earn the NL wild card after the Phillies beat the Braves. It was wild. 

Well, get ready for equally exciting MLB standings watching — but in July with teams that may not even make the playoffs, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels. Per FanGraphs, their postseason chances are 26.8% and 10.8%, respectively, as of Wednesday afternoon.

If they continue to slide, these teams could deal stars by the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

Will the Angels trade Shohei Ohtani? 

If the Angels fall out of the race, their two-way superstar could be traded, and the team could retool its farm system in one swift swap. 

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Angels are reportedly willing to listen to offers for the 29-year-old ace/slugger.  

Any contenders who potentially land the former American League MVP will get a front-end starter and a middle-of-the-order bat for the price of one.

It's not possible to predict a trade price for Ohtani (35 HRs, .307 BA; 7-5, 3.50 ERA), even as a rental, but the Angels could aim astoundingly high in terms of a hefty return package. (Sports Illustrated put some intriguing potential trade packages together involving the Dodgers, Yankees, Orioles, Phillies and Rays.)

In order, CBS Sports projected the Rangers, Orioles and Rays as the leading contenders to trade for Ohtani. 

"Texas has been so aggressive trying to build a winner the last few offseasons," Mike Axisa of CBS wrote. "You don't spend all that money on [Jacob] deGrom, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien only to hug prospects during Ohtani trade talks."

The Angels placed Mike Trout, Ohtani's superstar teammate, on the injured list July 4. Per the Los Angeles Times, Trout is optimistic he could return, but he'll miss much of the rest of the season. If the Angels keep falling back in the standings, leading to an Ohtani trade, the dynamic duo might not play together again. 

Could the Padres deal their stars?

MLB insider Jon Heyman hinted that the Padres could dish off one, two or three players should they fall out of the race in July. 

Former Yankees star Derek Jeter, now a Fox Sports broadcaster, recently suggested his old team trade for Padres star outfielder Juan Soto (17 HRs, .265 BA). New York, which has lost eight of its past 10, is last in the American League East, nine games behind Tampa Bay, but very much in the wild-card race.