Angels Were ’Never Close’ to Trading Shohei Ohtani, per Report

It turns out that the Angels star was never really available at the trade deadline.

With the Angels spiraling in a lost season, there was plenty of speculation over who would be available from their roster at the trade deadline.

The franchise is well out of playoff contention, marking another year in which they have wasted two generational talents in outfielder Mike Trout and two-way pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani.

The Angels made some smaller moves at the deadline, but none that involved Ohtani, who is scheduled to be a free agent following the 2023 season.

Rumors arose that Ohtani might be tradable, but the deadline came and went with him remaining on the roster.

But how close were the Angels to actually trading their two-way star?

“Not close at all,” Fox Sports and The Athletic baseball reporter Ken Rosenthal told Kevin Burkhardt on Saturday.

“In fact, it never even really got off the ground. I spoke with two teams that were in contact with the Angels and they said that the Angels basically left the impression ‘We’re gonna need six high-end guys, and even then that might not be enough, and even then, most likely owner Artie Moreno doesn’t want to do this anyway, so we’re probably wasting our time.’ 

“The question then becomes, okay, what is Ohtani’s future with the Angels? Would they trade him this offseason? Most people in the industry doubt they would even do that, and then he’s a free agent after the ’23 season and they’re going to effectively lose him for perhaps only a draft pick.

“Ohtani as a trade chip, Kevin, you can imagine what he would have brought, it might have been even more than Juan Soto brought considering he’s two players, right? Top of the rotation starter and middle of the order hitter. Granted, he’s under control for one fewer year than Soto but my goodness, it’s Shohei Ohtani and the Angels simply did not seize the opportunity when they could have,” Rosenthal said.

Ohtani’s future with the Angels franchise is far from certain, but it’s clear that Artie Moreno would rather take a chance of getting a long-term deal done with Ohtani before or during his free agency, rather than trading him away at this stage of his career.

Daily Cover: The Direction of College Athletics Hangs in the Balance. Here’s How.