Passan: Ohtani Could Be Traded If Angels Aren’t Contenders
Quite possibly the biggest fish in the free agent market in MLB history, Shohei Ohtani, could become available at the trade deadline, or this upcoming offseason, according to Jeff Passan. Passan was on ESPN’s “Get Up!” and reported that if the Angels are out of contention come the trade deadline, Ohtani will be moved. If he doesn’t get traded, he’ll “definitely leave.”
“There is one number that we need to be looking at when it comes to Shohei Ohtani’s future, and that is the Los Angeles Angels record,” Passan said to ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on the show.
Passan went on to say that as long as the Angels are in contention for a playoff spot, Ohtani is “probably not” going to be traded. When it really gets interesting, however, is if the Angels don’t have a good record this season. If they are out of it by the trade deadline, it is very realistic that LA will at least listen for a potential trade package for Ohtani.
“If it’s more of the same of the five years that he’s been there, he could be traded and he will definitely leave,” Passan continued.
Passan finished off the segment by labeling several of the rumored teams that could go after Ohtani’s services. That list included the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers as the two teams that will be “butting heads” for the right to pay Ohtani upwards of $500 million. He also said that the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners could be an option.
Now or Never
This report just confirms what so many baseball fans already knew going into this season: It is now or never for the Angels and Ohtani. His services are too elite to be wasted away on a team that’s not going anywhere. Everyone who watches Ohtani play knows that. If the Angels are bad again in 2023, the Angels could very well see the biggest trade package for any player in sports history.
The Angels are no strangers to wasting careers. They’ve done the same thing with Mike Trout. By the way, if Ohtani gets moved, can LA just ship off Trout? I don’t see a reason to hog both of them while your franchise enters a rebuild (again).
In my 2023 AL West’s biggest strengths article, I discussed how the Angels have to go all in right now if they want to have any chance at re-signing Ohtani this offseason. This is a well-documented fact. Don’t let Passan or ESPN trick you into thinking that this is news because this has been the case for a long time: If the Angels suck, Ohtani is gone. It’s as simple as that.
It’s impossible to read a player’s mind. The media will draw conclusions about certain athletes based on context and past decisions. It’s truly impossible to say what Ohtani is thinking, but you can’t imagine that he wants to continue playing for a franchise that has failed to surround him with the type of talent that is necessary to win a championship. The Angels have certainly failed to do that in every year of the Ohtani-Trout pairing. LA has these two beasts, and the team hasn’t even eclipsed more than 80 wins since Ohtani entered MLB!
Current Outlook
Do the Angels suck right now? Not really. It’s kind of too early to tell, but they haven’t been “trade everyone away” awful to begin the 2023 season. They sit at 9-9, good for second place in what’s been a surprisingly weak American League West to start the year.
There has been no one like Ohtani that the league has seen … ever. No one is amongst the best pitchers in the league with a 174 ERA+ while also able to hit 34 home runs and a .875 OPS in any given season. It would have been considered impossible until Ohtani arrived in the Major Leagues. Because of that, we haven’t seen a potential Ohtani trade package. One can only imagine what that deal would contain, from top prospects to current big leaguers and more.
So, Angels, the task at hand is simple: don’t suck. If you’re at least able to make a run and sneak your way into playoff contention, Ohtani has a good chance of sticking around. You already have the upper hand with the fact that he plays for you already. He signed with the club once, why wouldn’t he do it again?
The ball is in your court, Angels. The future of your franchise depends on it. If you don’t accomplish this goal, be prepared to see Ohtani playing for your crosstown rival, or maybe even in the Big Apple.
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