Angels News: GM Perry Minasian Explains Decision to Go All-In This Trade Deadline
The Halos are now up north.
They crossed the border into Canada to play the Toronto Blue Jays in a three game series this weekend, but not before making two of the most consequential decisions in franchise history.
That's not an exaggeration.
Not when the Angels made the decision to not only hold onto two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, but also added an All-Star pitcher in Lucas Giolito to go alongside him.
It was a message to teams around the league that the Los Angeles Angels would play the role of an aggressor in their attempt to snap a nine-year playoff drought.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian knew the other path.
His team was sitting outside of playoff position and could've dealt the most skilled player in baseball's long history for what would surely be an unprecedented haul.
But no return could've possibly equaled the impact Ohtani's had on the franchise, and Minasian decided to reward his team for their blistering run of late with something they haven't realistically had in a while.
Big name reinforcements to help their chances to, at long last, make a run at glory in October.
“It’s a resilient group,” Minasian said. “I saw a lot of fight. These guys have bounced back and put us in a position where we do have a chance. There’s going to be some people — and I understand — who are going to say, ‘Why are they doing this?’“And I get it, I understand that. But at the end of the day, this group has put themselves in position, through a lot of adversity, to have a chance. I really believed I owed it to the group to improve those chances.” (via Sam Blum of The Athletic)
Is it a gargantuan role of the dice? Yes, that's without question.
Things could go south and the Angels could miss the playoffs. They could make it to the postseason but fall flat and get eliminated early. Their iconic superstar in Ohtani could very easily leave this offseason, and the Angels would get nothing but an extra draft pick for one of the sport's legends.
Minasian opting to turn his team up to sixth gear could have disastrous consequences.
But the biggest of risks could also bring the biggest of rewards in just a few months.
The architect of the Angels' suddenly rounded roster pulled the trigger on a move that could shape the trajectory of a downtrodden franchise for a generation.
And he's just fine with taking that chance.
