The Los Angeles Angels will soon have to resolve a dilemma regarding Shohei Ohtani’s future with the team. Ohtani will hit free agency after the 2023 season. He agreed to a six-year contract with the Angels in Dec. 2017.
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman provided several updates regarding Ohtani’s future in Anaheim. Heyman noted that regardless of where the Angels stand come this season’s MLB trade deadline, the AL West side is “unlikely to trade” the one-time American League MVP Award winner. The MLB insider also relayed a message from “one Angels person” that there is a “zero percent chance” that the team will soon trade the two-way star.
From the Angels’ standpoint, they “haven’t given up hope” of keeping Ohtani with the team past the 2023 season.
Ohtani was linked with multiple teams ahead of last season’s MLB trade deadline, including the San Diego Padres. Last August, Padres general manager A.J. Preller revealed that he had discussions with Angels general manager Perry Minasian about the possibility of a trade involving the slugger. In the end, it was Angels owner Arte Moreno who reportedly “shot down the idea” of shipping off Ohtani.
There are many within the Angels organization who are hopeful that Ohtani will ultimately decide to prolong his stay in Anaheim. Minasian said before the start of the 2023 season that the organization “would like nothing more than to see him here for a long, long time.”
Moreno noted last month that he plans to “sit down” with Ohtani to discuss the possibility of an extension deal, but he made clear that the two-time All-Star “has to want to be here, too, it’s a two-way street.”
Ohtani has opened up the 2023 campaign on a promising note, logging 11 RBI to go along with a 0.86 ERA in four starts.
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