Angels Rumors: Shohei Ohtani isn't Going Anywhere, Opines MLB Insider
As all the talk in Major League Baseball has been about the Angels possibly trading Shohei Ohtani away at the trade deadline, the team has rattled off five wins in their last six games.
It’s been a silent winning stretch for the Angels, as everyone in the game has been telling them to trade away their two-way superstar.
The team has said they want to wait until the very last day to decide if they will part with the best player in the game, so this winning streak seems to be helping things. The Angels could decide to keep Ohtani and hope for the best the rest of the way.
One insider believes that the team won’t trade Ohtani because the justification for moving the biggest show in the game isn’t strong enough. Bob Nightengale of USA Today
“Simply, if Ohtani leaves as a free agent, that’s on the player, providing the Angels at least try to sign him. If Ohtani is traded, that’s on Moreno, since Ohtani wants to stay put through at least the regular season.“
This makes sense because at least the Angels could sell to their fans that they tried. If they trade him, they are waving the white flag on their relationship with Ohtani before it fully ends.
Yes, the smart move would be to move him for something. But this is a delicate situation entirely. He is the modern-day Babe Ruth, so this decision isn’t on a normal player.
“...Sure, the Angels could get perhaps some top prospects if they trade Ohtani, but realistically, no matter how great the potential of the prospects, it won’t come remotely close to equaling the value of Ohtani. The verdict: Ohtani stays, particularly in light of the Angels’ sweep over the Yankees, moving them to within four games of the final wild-card berth.”
In reality, how the Angels handle this Ohtani situation could affect things down the line with the next star player as well. The baseball world will be watching closely, with the Angels at center stage for it.
