With the Los Angeles Angels out of playoff contention, teams around the league will be looking at the players on their roster who could be available ahead of the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline.
Of course, Shohei Ohtani presented the most intriguing acquisition any team could make as he would have provided an upgrade in their rotation and to their lineup. The Angels were reportedly listening to offers on the 28-year-old, but with one more year of control, there was no real need to move him.
Although Ohtani could have returned a massive haul of prospects, the Angels will not be moving the superstar two-way player, according to Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:
The Angels are not going to trade Shohei Ohtani before Tuesday’s trading deadline, a source confirmed on Monday.
Speculation about an Ohtani trade ran rampant throughout the industry because the Angels are out of the playoff race and Ohtani is a free agent at the end of next season, but there was never any indication from within the organization that a deal was likely.
The Angels’ philosophy throughout Arte Moreno’s tenure as owner has been to try to compete every year, although they’ve often failed. Even in their bad seasons, they have not traded players who they believed could help them win in the following season.
It was always a long shot that the Angels would have dealt Ohtani, but the conversations were at least worth listening to. Ohtani seems unlikely to re-sign with the Angels so maximizing the return they could get would have made sense.
However, Angels owner Arte Moreno doesn’t want to be vilified by trading one of the game’s most talented players of all-time.
Angels could still trade multiple pitchers
While Ohtani will be with the Angels for at least one more season, the club could still look to move some of their pitchers to help replenish their farm system.
Noah Syndergaard appears to be the most likely trade option, despite some concerns about his ability from other clubs. They could also deal from their bullpen with Raisel Iglesias, Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera.