Angels Rumors: Insiders Opine Shohei Ohtani is An Almost Untradeable Player

Perhaps the biggest storyline as the Aug. 1 trade deadline is well under two weeks away is where Shohei Ohtani will end up afterward.

The Angels haven't been able to consistently stay in the hunt for the AL Wild Card, as the Halos currently sit five games behind the third spot entering Friday, with Boston and New York ahead of them.

With Ohtani set to become a free agent after the 2023 season, it is likely that he will don a different jersey by the start of the 2024 campaign. Ohtani has made it clear that his top priority is winning, and he will have a laundry list of suitors offering top-dollar contracts to choose from.

Regardless of what happens in free agency, the Angels need Ohtani on their roster if they are to climb back into the playoff conversation. And if they successfully make the playoffs, perhaps Ohtani can be convinced to stick around.

According to an anonymous current MLB executive, a trade for the superstar could be difficult to arrange, even if the Angels are willing to separate with Ohtani.

"There are many teams that will say, 'I don't care how good a rental he is, I can't give you hundreds of millions of dollars of future value,'" the executive said on the potential prospect packages for Ohtani. "That's going to wipe out a handful of clubs. ... I just don't know where the obvious fit is, where someone is desperate to give that complete overpay."

(Via

The Orange County Register

)

Another potential factor in trading Ohtani is the Angels' product off the field. Since fans were allowed back into Angel Stadium, their attendance has skyrocketed.

Of course, there were likely concerns over COVID-19 that might have swayed fans from attending in 2021, but the connection to Ohtani is clear-cut. People, who otherwise couldn't care less about the Los Angeles Angels, are showing up to watch Shohei Ohtani and likely leave a Halos fan after witnessing his greatness. Ohtani is valuable on and off the field.

"That's why it's so difficult to trade him," said former MLB general manager Jim Duquette. "Anything less and you feel like you're getting cheated. And you have to sell Arte Moreno, who is one of the most difficult owners in the sport."

(Via

The Orange County Register

)

The Summer of Shohei continues, and the biggest competition in baseball could be off the field and in the front office as the tradeline is rapidly approaching.