Shohei Ohtani News: MLB Insider Thinks Angels Could Re-Sign Two-Way Superstar This Offseason
The Los Angeles Angels made two of the biggest splashes of the trade deadline when they decided to keep two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and then followed that up by trading for Chicago White Sox ace Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez, giving the Angels rotation depth behind Ohtani and bolstering their bullpen as they prepare for a run toward the playoffs.
The Giolito and Lopez deal was the clearest sign to date of an organizational shift in Anaheim.
Gone are the days of relying on just two superstars to carry an entire team of 25 to October glory, replaced by a message that the Angels would now round out their roster in an attempt to break a nine-year playoff drought.
The Angels answered their most pressing question of the present, and it might just help them get the biggest possible prize in the near future: The long term signature of the two-way baseball icon.
Ohtani is slated to hit free agency at the end of this season, but the acquisitions of Giolito and Lopez may have given them a chance to win what's sure to be the most watched free agency sweepstakes in baseball history.
And MLB insider Jon Heyman confirmed that the Angels have a shot to keep Ohtani in Orange County far into the future.
"Though the Angels have yet to make the playoffs since Ohtani’s arrival, word from one person is '[Ohtani] loves it out there. He’s very comfortable there.' ...
"The Dodgers, Giants, Padres and Mariners are the most-mentioned likely landing spots for Ohtani. But don’t discount the Angels."
Obviously, nothing's concrete until the offseason arrives, but the Angels clearly showed that they have a new mentality. A mentality that may wind up rewarding them by having the best player baseball's ever seen in their organization until the day he retires.
