Highly-touted Japanese free agent Shohei Ohtani is going to be a Los Angeles Angel.
In a statement released by Ohtani’s representatives, they confirmed that Ohtani, the 23-year-old two-way star, has decided to sign with the Angels after an extended courtship process.
1/Statement from Ohtani agent Nez Balelo if CAA:
“This morning, after a thorough, detailed process, Shohei Ohtani has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Angels. Shohei is humbled and flattered by all the time and effort that so many teams put into their presentations— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 8, 2017
2/and sincerely thanks them for their professionalism. In the end, he felt a strong connection with the Angels and believes they can best help him reach his goals in Major League Baseball.
“I want to thank the clubs and everyone else for respecting our intent to make this
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 8, 2017
The Angels had been one of the teams to make under-the-radar moves in order to offer Ohtani more money, a decision that appears to have paid off.
The Angels have become quite interesting, at least offensively. They already had Mike Trout, and have managed to retain Justin Upton as well. If Ohtani pans out, they could be really fun to watch — and they’ll probably be hoping he can pitch, too, given their issues there.
