Angels Rumors: Insider Predicts Shohei Ohtani Doesn’t Get Traded This Season
It's hard to imagine Shohei Ohtani being on the trading block for the Angels. With all the moves they have made, it only makes sense to keep him this season, and see if they have a chance at contending.
There have been rumors about the Angels potentially trading Ohtani this offseason, to take away the risk of losing him for nothing in the offseason. However, this article isn't going to be about that. Rather, it's going to be about the complete opposite.
If Ohtani was on the table, it would require a team trading their entire future plus more for a chance to land the star. The requirements and the potential to be legit contenders with Ohtani provide all the evidence one insider needs to believe Ohtani isn't going anywhere this season (via MLB).
"I don’t think this is a surefire playoff team, but I think it’s a team that ought to be able to avoid falling off the face of the earth by the end of July," MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince wrote. "Only a clear mathematical mess should compel the Angels to trade Ohtani in-season, because getting proper value for baseball’s true unicorn in a trade is pretty much impossible, anyway."
Even if they're not looking like true World Series contenders, Castrovince points out that a new owner could have the ability to not only keep Ohtani through the end of 2023, but even extend him long term.
"Hey, maybe the next owner will even do something crazy like -- hear me out on this one -- extend Ohtani! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves."
With one year left on his contract, it's likely a team will only make the trade for him if they know he's going to re-sign long term. That's another reason why it feels Ohtani will finish the year in Anaheim.
