Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Insider Shares Big Update That Doesn't Bode Well for Angels

The Angels are waiting just like everyone else.

As the entire baseball world waits for Shohei Ohtani to make his free agency decision, the Los Angeles Angels are in the same boat as everyone else. They are waiting for him as well, and are hopeful of a reunion.

The Angels remain cautiously optimistic that they can retain Ohtani, despite all of the talks from the rest of the industry. Ohtani has shocked baseball before, and maybe he will do it again.

MLB insider Buster Olney of ESPN provided some insight into the Ohtani sweepstakes, and this latest news doesn’t bode well for the Angels to retain him.

“A friend of Ohtani said he believes Ohtani already knows where he wants to sign. He’ll go through the process — standing back as his agent negotiates and works to goose the final numbers — but in the end, Ohtani will drive this thing. So maybe the bidding doesn’t matter that much, so long as the team he wants to play for steps up with a decent offer. And my guess is that’ll be the Dodgers.“

Per Buster Olney of ESPN.com

If this is true, it’s a smart decision by Ohtani to let the market eat itself alive before he finally agrees to a deal with the team that he wants to go to. Most in the industry believe that it will end up being the cross-town rival Los Angeles Dodgers, a move that would keep Ohtani in Southern California.

It would sting to see Ohtani playing for the Dodgers, but it’s an understandable move for him. He can essentially remain in the same place that he has been in for years but gets to upgrade the franchise that he plays for.

Ohtani has made a ton of relationships during his time with the Angels, and he may not want to lose out on those. He is comfortable in Southern California, and the Dodgers provide him with a chance to win the World Series each season, something that the Angels never could do.

Hopefully, Ohtani officially makes his decision soon, so all the speculation can end. The Angels have a lot of decisions to make this offseason, but they all start with what Ohtani will do. The team needs to focus on trying to build a winning roster, and they can’t wait around all offseason waiting for his decision to come down.