The San Diego Padres were reportedly willing to include the highly touted prospect Jackson Merrill in a trade for Shohei Ohtani back in 2022, a move that would have offered the Los Angeles Angels a future face of the franchise.

Ron Washington is confident "the day will come" when the Angels will be able to end their struggles and compete for World Series titles like the Dodgers.

Two years and another MVP later, the overwhelming intrigue when it comes to the Los Angeles Dodgers facing the freeway-adjacent Los Angeles Angels still is Shohei Ohtani taking on his former team.