Angels All-Star Thinks Shohei Ohtani Wanted to Re-Sign: Report

Ohtani instead became a Dodger.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Could Shohei Ohtani have stayed with the Los Angeles Angels?

Ohtani departed the Angels, the team who signed him in 2017, last fall when he became a free agent. He ended up signing a $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and now gets to play for a regular contender.

Still, Ohtani reportedly was interested in staying with the Angels, had they wanted to match the $700 million deal.

“That’s the word,” Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson said, via the New York Post's Jon Heyman. “He obviously did so well [in Anaheim], and I feel like if he obviously wants to have a Hall of Fame career, if you stay with one team, that’s the way to do it. He was clearly comfortable there to put up the numbers he had and everything he did. I’m sure there’s something to that.”

Several other Angels agreed with Anderson, noting that Ohtani is a “loyal guy” and a “creature of habit.”

The San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays also were willing to match the $700 million offer, but the Angels were not.

Ohtani was fantastic with the Angels, where he established his reputation as one of the best players in MLB as both a pitcher and hitter. As a pitcher, Ohtani went 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA and 173 strikeouts for the Angels.

He compiled 171 home runs and 437 RBIs on his way to making three All-Star teams, two American League MVP awards, and leading MLB in home runs in 2023 while with the Angels.

Even with these incredible accomplishments and Ohtani in the middle of his prime, Angels owner Arte Moreno was unwilling to re-sign him to such a large deal. Moreno and the Angels didn't trade him either, allowing an MLB great to walk with no return.