Angels News: Shohei Ohtani on The 'Best Time' for the Team to Trade Him

Shohei Ohtani gave an interesting answer to this hypothetical.

It's hard to imagine trading away an all-time talent like Shohei Ohtani, and the Angels have made it clear they won't be doing that this offseason. Ohtani brings exactly what a winning organization is looking for, and is a true once in a lifetime talent.

However, Ohtani was asked what he would have done if he were the Angels, and mentioned when he thought the best time to trade him would be. That time was this past trade deadline.

"Even if I were the GM or owner, I judged the timing to trade me for the greatest return was this year," Ohtani said in an interview with the Japanese sports magazine Number. "If you take a long-term view of the team, I think there were many options to trade me."

The Angels could've gone with the idea of getting a haul for Ohtani at the trade deadline, when he still was under contract for another year-and-a-half. But instead, they hung onto him through the end of the season, and will now do so until at least next trade deadline.

Ohtani is on the final year of his contract and will inevitably be set to make big money during the 2023 offseason. The Angels may find themselves in a bidding war for the two-way star, with no guarantee of re-signing him.

However, the Angels have made some key moves already this offseason, bringing in Tyler Anderson from the Dodgers and trading for Gio Urshela from the Twins. Their best chance of re-signing Ohtani is having a winning season, so they seem to be on the right track.