Angels Declined Matching Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Contract Offer, per Report

The Angels reportedly had every chance to match the Dodgers’ offer for the two-way superstar.

Longtime Angels star Shohei Ohtani is packing his bags to move across town and join the Dodgers after signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract last weekend.

His original team reportedly had every chance to re-sign him, however.

Toward the end of Ohtani’s free-agent process, the superstar’s representation reached out to Angels owner Arte Moreno to see if he wanted to match the Dodgers’ offer. Moreno declined, according to Los Angeles Times reporter Jack Harris.

Of course, it’s not clear if Ohtani would have returned to the Angels, even if they did match his offer.

Instead, Ohtani joined the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup 30 miles away in Los Angeles. He was officially introduced by his new organization Thursday in a press conference attended by hundreds of media members.