Angels Top Exec Dodges Shohei Ohtani Questions

Front office speak at its finest...

The winter of Shohei Ohtani is upon us, and the Los Angeles Angels understand that better than anyone. They know that there is a good chance he will leave the franchise that he has spent his career with, in search of a more consistent winner.

The team remains cautiously optimistic that they can resign him, but the writing may be on the wall. The Halos haven't been able to show him that they can put together a winning team, and that will ultimately be the reason he leaves.

General Manager Perry Minasian seemed to dodge all questions relating to Ohtani at the GM Meetings. He likely doesn’t want to give anything away, but it’s still a little telling that he just gave the front office classic speak.

“You don’t base an offseason on one single player,” Minasian said. “You have to have Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D, and so on and so forth. So we’re going to work like we always do. We’re gonna be aggressive. We’re gonna have a lot of conversations and just see where everything goes.”



Per Perry Minasian via The OC Register

Losing Ohtani would be brutal for the Angels, but they did it to themselves. They weren’t able to field a winning team in any of the years that he was with the organization, and now they are dealing with the potential consequences.

While there is a chance that he does remain with the Halos, most in the industry are expecting him to jump ship. He has been comfortable with the team, but that can only get you so far, especially when winning is a major priority.

“He’s a great player,” Minasian said. “I know that there’s going to be a lot of attention on it and I understand why. Great player. We’ll see how the offseason develops. We’ve got our plan, and we’re going to try and execute that plan and see where everything goes.”

Per Perry Minasian via The OC Register

If Ohtani does leave, the Angels will have a hard time replacing him both on and off the field. Ohtani is the biggest show in baseball, and the Angels will always look at him as a missed opportunity of their own doing.