Fastball

WATCH: Shohei Ohtani Traded by Deadline? Jomboy Media Debates

The future of the Angels star will be among biggest MLB storylines this season.

Brady Farkas

WATCH: Shohei Ohtani Traded by Deadline? Jomboy Media Debates
WATCH: Shohei Ohtani Traded by Deadline? Jomboy Media Debates /

The future of Shohei Ohtani will be among the biggest stories in all of Major League Baseball this season.

Ohtani is set to become a free agent after the 2023 season and could command upwards of $600 million in free agency, per reports, so what will happen in 2023?

Do the Angels hold onto him for the entirety of the season, and make a run at the organizations first playoff spot since 2014? Or do they fall out of contention and trade Ohtani for likely the most lucrative trade package ever seen?

Earlier today, longtime baseball host Chris Rose and former MLB infielder Trevor Plouffe of Jomboy Media took aim at the topic, suggesting what they would do if they were the Angels front office.

Rose seems inclined to want to move Ohtani regardless because he's just going to leave after the season anyways, while Plouffe is more content to hold onto Ohtani and see how the new-look roster does and if the team can get into contention.

The Angels have made a number of intriguing moves this offseason, with the hope of improving on last years 73-win campaign. The team signed veteran starting pitcher Tyler Anderson and slugging OF Hunter Renfroe. Anderson went 15-5 last season for the Dodgers while Renfroe hit 29 home runs last year for the Brewers.

The Angels will face an uphill climb to get back to the playoffs, given the AL West features the World Champion Astros and the deeply-talented Mariners. The upstart Rangers also figure to be a concern after inking Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney in the offseason.

Ohtani and the Angels will open the season on Thursday night at 7:07 PST. Ohtani will be on the mound, where he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA last year. He will also presumably be in the line-up, where he hit 34 home runs in 2022.

Published
Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

Home/News