The Los Angeles Angels find themselves in a peculiar position with the potential sale of the franchise, and the impending free agency of Shohei Ohtani, who’s expected to receive a mega contract if or when he reaches the open market.
In late August, Angels owner, Arte Moreno announced his intentions to sell the team after 20 years of ownership. Under Moreno, the Angels clinched a playoff berth six times and reached the ALCS twice.
It’s been rumored that the sale could be for a record $3 billion, according to numerous owners around Major League Baseball, and with that large purchase on the horizon, Ohtani’s status is expected to be a factor in how general manager Perry Minasian approaches the offseason and his availability via trade in the 2023 regular season.
The Angels will approach Ohtani with extension talks, which they probably already have, and their efforts should not stop until their options have been exhausted, but don’t expect Minasian to move their superstar before the sale of the team is complete, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com:
Ohtani isn’t expected to be traded this offseason, but it also can’t be fully ruled out. The Angels are more likely to hold onto Ohtani and the hope is that the new ownership will be in place with enough time to sell him on the future of the club and re-sign him to an extension.
At the plate, Ohtani batted .273 with an .875 OPS. He hit 34 home runs, 95 RBIs, 30 doubles, and six triples while stealing 11 bases. He compiled an offensive WAR of 3.8 and a 142 wRC+. On the mound, he tossed 166.0 innings, posting a 2.33 ERA, 2.40 FIP, 1.012 WHIP, 219 strikeouts, 172 ERA+, and a WAR of 5.6.
But without a player of Ohtani’s archetype in the modern game, his true value in terms of total value is something that will be groundbreaking, and so should his contract. After the Angels went 73-89 in the regular season and missed the playoffs yet again, his view on the club can’t be all that positive.
Shohei Ohtani has negative view of 2022 season
Following the completion of the regular season, Ohtani’s repeat MVP-level statistics speak for themselves, but without being able to compete on the game’s biggest stage in the playoffs, the Angels star has a sour taste on the year.
According to Koji Ueda of the Associated Press, Ohtani isn’t happy with how the year went:
“I have to say that August and September in particular felt longer to me than last year,” Ohtani said, speaking in Japanese. “We were not able to play as many good games as we would like — including 14 consecutive losses. So I have a rather negative impression of this season.”
Moreno refused to listen to offers on Ohtani this past trade deadline, and shouldn’t be expected to hear them going forward, that is until their attempts have run out to keep him with the team in the long-term.
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