Shohei Ohtani: 'Right Now I'm an Angel'

The Angels' superstar two-way player talked about trade rumors after he lost to the Texas Rangers on Thursday night.

When asked about trade speculation on Thursday night, Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani said “Right now, I’m an Angel,” according to a report in The Athletic.

Ohtani was speaking to the media after Thursday’s 2-0 loss to the Texas Rangers in Anaheim. Ohtani took the loss but struck out 11 Rangers in the process. But he also gave up eight hits.

Earlier in the day the New York Post reported that the Angels are at least “listening” to offers for Ohtani, but aren’t actively shopping him.

“I’m with the Angels right now,” Ohtani said. “And I’m very thankful for what they’ve done. I really love the team. I love my teammates. Right now I’m an Angel, and that’s all I can really focus on at this point.”

Los Angeles is facing a critical juncture of Ohtani’s career. He’s in the second year of a two-year contract that paid him $8.5 million. He can go to arbitration with the Angels this offseason, but he’ll be a free agent after the 2023 season. The Angels face the prospect of losing Ohtani down the line if they’re not able to get a long-term deal in place.

Complicating matters is that Mike Trout has a 12-year, $426 million contract that he signed in 2019. Trout just announced that he has a spinal condition called costovertebral dysfunction at T5, which is a condition that he’ll have to deal with the rest of his career. It’s not clear how much the condition will limit him as a player.

In May, the Angels were considered AL West contenders. But now they are more games under .500 than the Rangers, have fired their manager, Joe Maddon, and are trying to determine if Ohtani is a part of their future, and if so, for how long?

The Angels host the Rangers through Sunday.

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