Angels Owner Arte Moreno Finally Reveals Why He Didn't Re-Sign Shohei Ohtani

The Angels let Ohtani become a free agent.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

There have been a number of controversial moves — or lack of moves — that Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno has made over the last decade. While the initial decade of Moreno's ownership was largely a success, the last decade has left plenty of questions as the Angels remain out of the playoffs for the 10th straight season.

One of those controversial moves was the decision to let two-way star Shohei Ohtani walk away in free agency. Ohtani won the American League MVP award twice with the Angels and was named to MLB's All-Star team three times, but the Angels opted to let Ohtani become a free agent, and not even trade him to get players and/or prospects back.

Moreno said that the Angels' contracts with Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon prevented the Angels from re-signing Ohtani to an extension. Trout signed a 12-year, $426 million extension with the Angels in March 2019, and earns 37.1 million per year. Later that year in December, Rendon signed a seven-year, $245 million contract, taking in $38.5 million per year, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

These two deals have unfortunately not paid off for the Angels. While Trout is an Angels great already and remains productive when he is on the field, he and Rendon have dealt with numerous injuries since signing long-term deals with the Angels.

Meanwhile, Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 10-year, $700 million deal. The contract appears to have paid off as Ohtani has recorded historic numbers in his first season with the Dodgers, becoming the first player in MLB history with at least 50 stolen bases and home runs in a single season. The Dodgers had several other major contracts on their payroll but managed to bring in Ohtani by deferring the majority of his contract.

Moreno additionally admitted the Angels could have traded Ohtani, but they did not because they believed they were still in contention to make the playoffs in 2023 — their goal. The Angels had a 56-51 record at the time of the MLB trade deadline in 2023 and were after a chance at qualifying for the postseason. The Angels' run at the playoffs did not work out as Ohtani ended up tearing his UCL and missing the end of the season as the Angels missed the playoffs again.