On a day when trades are buzzing around the NFL world, one MLB team is going to be staying quiet. At least for now. SNY insider Andy Martino reported Tuesday that the Los Angeles Angels are not discussing a trade involving superstar two-way player Shohei Ohtani.
The Angels are showing "no appetite" to discuss Shohei Ohtani deals:
"The current perception from rivals is that L.A. is more likely to try to extend Ohtani, and, if they are unable to keep him, look to move him at the trade deadline" (via @martinonyc) https://t.co/m27Mah5ZJz pic.twitter.com/cKFSPM4rg2
— SNY (@SNYtv) November 1, 2022
“The current perception from rivals is that Los Angeles is more likely to try to extend Ohtani,” wrote Martino on Tuesday. “And, if they are unable to keep him, look to move him at July’s trade deadline.”
New ownership is looming in the distance for the Angels, who are up for sale. We have already seen a similar situation to that come to fruition. Over the summer, the Washington Nationals parted ways with star outfielder Juan Soto, sending him to the San Diego Padres with new ownership coming soon to Washington.
For the Angels, Ohtani is a superstar who brings people to the ballpark. He won the 2021 American League MVP award and might be the runner-up in 2022. But of course, as frequently reminded, the team has had trouble winning games and making the playoffs in his and Mike Trout’s tenure. Plus, Ohtani signed a one-year deal worth a record amount of money, $30 million for all of 2023. So the suggestion of a trade for Shohei isn’t an absurd one. But neither is keeping him around either, which the Angels have stayed consistent with this year.
The question is, does Ohtani want to be there? Well, he offered some criticism recently on how the 2022 season went. And the author of his book suggested there’s reason to be skeptical. So unrest might be trickling in. This is a situation all of baseball will be paying attention to.
If Angels don’t extend Ohtani (and why would he want to stay?) *and* don’t trade him this offseason, they’re going to cost themselves in a big way when it comes to what they get back in return during a potential deadline deal
But it’s the Angels, so anything is possible https://t.co/tordXhihBo
— Danny Abriano (@DannyAbriano) November 1, 2022
[SNY]
