Angels Rumors: MLB Insider Projects Shohei Ohtani's Future with Halos
The curious case of will they or won't they regarding the Angels and the possibility of trading two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani continues on. Almost daily, this is talked about and it's gotten even louder as the Angels have started to drop in the standings.
Los Angeles has dropped nine of their last ten games and they have lost five straight as the team enters into the All-Star break. Now, it hasn't been all poor play as injuries have taken their toll on this roster. But with his impending free agency approaching this winter, it won't matter how the Angels' season ends if it ends without a playoff appearance.
The Angels haven't made the postseason once since the arrival of Ohtani back in 2017. It has led the majority of people in baseball to think that Ohtani will leave the organization at the conclusion of the season as he said talked previously about winning being his priority.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal gave some intel on what he believes Ohtani's future with the team looks like.
They keep Ohtani the rest of the season, try to make the playoffs, and then lose him as a free-agent."
It's not the most inspiring belief for Angel fans but it seems to be the most likely situation. Rosenthal said "that owner Arte Moreno has no intention of being the guy that trades away the best player" but if this is his thinking, he could be hurting the team more by keeping Ohtani and then losing him for nothing if he leaves in free agency.
Ohtani is scheduled to become the first $500 million man in the history of the sport and the Angels may not be able to afford that due to the large salaries already on their books. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, and more will be vying for his services and all give better chances to win than what the Angels have shown.
The last few weeks before the trade deadline will be interesting to watch play out. If the Angels continue to lose games, do they finally make a decision to trade him? Or do they let the season play out and hope that familiarity keeps him in the offseason?
It's a tricky game to play but one that the organization seems destined to do.
