If the Los Angeles Angels were hoping to get some reassurance from Shohei Ohtani that they still have a chance to keep him long term, they did not get it when he spoke to the media Thursday.
Ohtani was asked about his future Thursday as he enters the final season of his contract with the Angels. The two-way superstar essentially declined to make any commitments, simply saying that “as of now I’m an Angel and that’s all I want to focus on.”
Ohtani is basically declining to answer questions about whether he is open to remaining with the Angels after this season. “As of now I’m an Angel and that’s all I want to focus on.” pic.twitter.com/kSv9ZORgmL
— Stephanie Apstein (@stephapstein) February 16, 2023
Ohtani was probably never going to say much about how he feels. That said, even a cursory remark about how he would prefer to stay where he is would have been a bit more encouraging than this.
It is no secret that Ohtani wants to win. The Angels might be trending in the wrong direction in his eyes.
One of his teammates is going to put in a major effort to try to keep Ohtani in Anaheim, but it sure sounds like he will be fighting an uphill battle.
