Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was the subject of trade chatter during the season, and speculation was again growing that teams might try to land him this offseason. On Monday, however, Angels general manager Perry Minasian tried to put a stop to those rumors immediately.
Minasian said Monday that the Angels would not be trading Ohtani this offseason, essentially ruling out the possibility almost immediately.
Shohei Ohtani will NOT be traded this offseason, per Angels GM Perry Minasian.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) November 7, 2022
There were a few reasons some believed the Angels might at least consider an Ohtani trade. The 28-year-old will be in the final year of his contract and he has made it clear that he wants to play for a winner. Coming off a 73-89 campaign, it’s fair to question whether the Angels can take the necessary steps to do that, or at least show Ohtani that they are close to being where he would want them to be. Thus, there was some logic to possibly exploring the Ohtani trade market to get something for him instead of risking him leaving for nothing in free agency.
The flipside of this is that Ohtani is a rare talent that the Angels will desperately try to re-sign. Owner Arte Moreno may be on his way out, but he clearly wants to keep Ohtani. Fairly or not, the team appears to be betting on their ability to convince him to re-sign after 2023. It is a risk, but one that could pay off handsomely.
