MLB Insider Predicts Shohei Ohtani Shockingly Signs With Angels AL West Rival This Offseason

This would be insanely tough for the Angels if it came true.

All of the talk around the baseball world right now is about where two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will sign this offseason. He is expected to leave the Angels organization after another poor season, and there doesn't seem to be any shortage of suitors for his services.

Every team across the league could use a player like Ohtani, but the majority of them can't offer him the ability to win consistently. Plus, he is expected to receive the largest contract in baseball history, and many teams can't afford what it will take to sign him.

MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic put together his predictions for the MLB offseason, and he has Ohtani landing in the AL West division, just not with the Angels.

“Ohtani will surprise many by signing with the world champion Texas Rangers. The contract includes incentives, escalator clauses and award bonuses that will make him the highest-paid player in the history of the sport. The Dodgers and Mariners finish as the runner-ups in the Shohei sweepstakes.”

Per Jim Bowden of The Athletic

While it would sting to see Ohtani playing for the crosstown Los Angeles Dodgers, his playing in the same division as the Angels for the foreseeable future may be worse. The Rangers just won the World Series, so them adding Ohtani would make things extremely excellent for the Angels to compete.

The AL West is already one of the tougher divisions in baseball with the Astros and Mariners as well, so this would be unfortunate. But Texas does remain one of the most talked about destinations for the two-way superstar.

Angels fans would rather he didn’t join a division rival if he is to leave the organization. The team may never compete in the AL West if he were to join one of the teams so the hope is that Ohtani signs pretty much anywhere else.