Arte Moreno Reveals Angels Had Tons of Trade Offers for Shohei Ohtani in 2023

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 15, 2024

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno revealed a bit of interesting news about his former two-way star Shohei Ohtani in his most recent interview.

Speaking with Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com by phone, Moreno said that they had plenty of trade offers for Ohtani before and during the 2023 season, but the plan was to compete for a postseason berth.

Instead, the Angels didn't make the postseason and Ohtani walked away from the Angels to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While fans were outraged to see Ohtani leave the Angels, Moreno simply couldn't afford to keep him.

Having Mike Trout under contract for $37.1 million per season through 2030 and Anthony Rendon signed through 2026 at $38.5 million made it unfeasible to re-sign Shohei Ohtani, Moreno said via Bollinger.

On the day of the 2023 trade deadline, the Angels had a record of 56-51 and were deep in the Wild Card race with plenty to be optimistic about. However, they struggled in the final stretch of the season, finishing with a 73-89 record.

Instead of going out and spending money on a big-name free agent, Moreno decided that the Angels would dial it back on payroll. The biggest signing they got was relief pitcher Robert Stephenson who missed the season with an injury.

As Moreno and the Angels look ahead, they need Rendon and Trout return to full health. Rendon has played in only 205 games over the past four seasons, posting a .666 OPS and hitting 13 home runs during that span.

Trout has faced a similar situation, appearing in only 29 games last year and 82 the year prior. Despite these challenges, he has continued to perform at an All-Star level when healthy, recording an .867 OPS in 126 plate appearances in 2024.

Moreno mentioned that they will collaborate with Trout this offseason to develop a plan aimed at keeping him healthy.

“We don't need Mike Trout to be an MVP. We just need Mike Trout to get on the field,” Moreno said. “Because whether he's a DH or playing a corner, whatever he's doing, when Mike Trout comes up to bat, it really protects the other guys and he can change the game with one swing.”

While Moreno was frustrated with is club's dismal season, he is optimistic about the future and is looking forward to a bright and promising future.