Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is in the final season of his contract. If the club falls out of the playoff race in the coming months, he’ll be the top target for many teams ahead of the trade deadline.
The Angels enter play on Saturday with a 10-10 record. Ohtani and fellow generational superstar Mike Trout have helped the Angels keep pace in the race for the AL West division crown. But what happens if they’re no longer in playoff contention by the time the deadline rolls around?
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Angels have no intentions of trading the 2021 AL MVP. In fact, one source stated that there’s a “zero percent chance” of a deal happening:
“No matter where they stand in the race, the Angels are unlikely to trade Shohei Ohtani, multiple people close to the situation say.
The Yankees, Padres and about half the teams made inquiries about the great two-way star at last year’s deadline, and sources say Angels owner Arte Moreno rather emphatically and colorfully shot down the idea of trading the iconic superstar.
No one around the team sees that changing now.
Put aside that the Angels are improved, Moreno and Co. haven’t given up hope of holding onto Ohtani long term. So a trade seems out of the question.”
Late in the 2021 season, Ohtani stated that he enjoyed playing for Los Angeles, though he added “I want to win.” The Angels haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, and they haven’t won a postseason game since 2009.
Ohtani is batting .268 with four homers and 11 RBI with an OPS of .823. As a pitcher, he is 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA and 38 strikeouts.
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The 28-year-old Ohtani is likely to secure the richest contract in MLB history at some point over the next nine or so months. The main question, of course, is if it will come from the Angels or a different ball club.
