Angels News: MLB Expert Declares Halos Won't Trade Shohei Ohtani Come The Trade Deadline
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In what could be his last season in an Angels uniform, Shohei Ohtani is here to stay ... for now.
According to a report from ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan, people across the league are nearly certain that the Angels will not seek any trade offers for their superstar before the Aug. 1 trade deadline.
"The expectation for the Angels is very simple: Unless they flat-out collapse prior to the deadline, they will keep Ohtani — despite his impending free agency in October — and chase his first postseason berth," Passan added.
The Angels, who have not won a playoff game since 2009, hope that a successful 2023 campaign might convince Ohtani that if he wants to win, he can do so in Anaheim.
Keeping Ohtani shows that the Angels, who currently sit at third in the American League West behind Texas and Houston, believe that a postseason run is feasible for a team who last sported a winning record in the 2015 season.
Even Ohtani's teammate and fellow 2022 All-Star Mike Trout is openly campaigning for the former AL MVP to remain an Angel after this season.
"We win and get to the playoffs, he’d think about it a little bit more," Trout said of his famous teammate.
(Via Yardbarker)
While postseason success could be an effective way to sway Shohei to stay, his next contract could break the bank for Angels owner Arte Moreno.
Experts believe that Ohtani, who is currently a heavy favorite to win the AL MVP, could sign a contract for as much as $600 million after this season.
If the Angels are to keep Ohtani, it seems that both postseason success as well as a fat wallet will be key in retaining a player who has had unprecedented success on both sides of the ball.
