The Los Angeles Angels have been busy in shuffling their front office roles a bit, with the club parting ways with assistant general manager Alex Tamin, and working towards solidifying their franchise at the top.
However, the largest question mark remains in the future of two-way star Shohei Ohtani. Because of how vital he is to the fabric of the team, most of their plans revolve around if they’ll be able to retain him as a member of the Angels.
Although his final year didn’t go as planned for both he and the team, the all-in deadline approach was an admirable attempt to make a run for the postseason. The Angels have a clean slate looking head, and the speculation for Ohtani is very alive.
Pedro Martinez lobbed a prediction that Ohtani would be heading to the East Coast to play for the Boston Red Sox as his next stop. Considering they’ve been in need of adding another star since Mookie Betts was traded in 2020, the Hall of Famer believes they’re a possible landing spot, via Ian Casselberry of SI.com:
“I think he’s gonna be playing in Boston,” the TBS and MLB Network analyst said with a laugh. However, Martinez acknowledged several other possibilities for Ohtani, including the Dodgers, Padres, and Mets. But the Red Sox, with whom he pitched for seven seasons, were his top choice.
The Red Sox signed Masataka Yoshida on a five-year $90 million deal prior to 2023, and have shown a willingness to add on. A huge hold up will come from owner John Henry, who has received criticism for allowing talented players to leave without paying market value for their services.
With around $77.2 million in space to the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, the Red Sox could add Ohtani, while have a bit of wiggle room to make surrounding moves once arbitration cases are figured out.
Where Shohei Ohtani signs will have hefty implications for Angels roster
Heading into the 2024 season, the Angels have a projected $161.6 million in Tax Payroll, which includes estimates for arbitration, pre-arbitration players. That leaves them with about $106 million in space until the competitive balance tax threshold.
Why this is important is predicated on two factors, if the Angels are unable to re-sign Ohtani, what will they do with Mike Trout? The possibility that they could move the former MVP has to be at the forefront of how the front office is conducting their offseason considering the value they could receive in return.
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