There is a question mark surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s future now that Mike Trout is set to miss the next month, maybe longer. This is happening after the Los Angeles Angels were swept by the San Diego Padres, the most unsuccessful game of a horror stretch where they lost 11 of 15.
Few people in MLB view the Angels’ precipitous fall as a sign that they will trade Ohtani before the August 1 Trade Deadline.
In a different world, star pitchers on expiring contracts are sold for a high price. But the Angels are not that kind of team. They play in a world where Ohtani is one of the most special athletes to ever exist.
Guaranteed, buying a collection of young talent is appealing. Los Angeles has two prospects in the industry’s Top 100, according to MLB Pipeline; the highest-ranked of the two players is catcher Logan O’ Hoppe who is recovering from left shoulder surgery.
To be sure, the team’s baseball operations staff will communicate with other clubs to workshop trade situations if the Los Angeles’ slide persists. That duty falls to the front office. However, offering a favourable deal to ownership, and getting approval for it, is a completely different matter.
If the Angels wanted to maximize Shohei’s trade value, they would have transferred him last year, when they were lesser competitors in the standings and the extra-contractual control would have had more value.
Even if they miss the postseason, there is still some value in retaining Ohtani on the roster until he reaches free agency. They get viewership numbers every time he plays. Marketing revenues and sponsorships are attached to his presence. There is a highly realistic chance of him winning his second American League MVP Award.
Ohtani heads the Majors with 31 home runs, which places him on pace for 56 over the full season. If fans think he is a global sensation now, they should wait until he starts slugging in September with a chance to reach 60 homers.
Angels fans or an executive watching Shohei accomplish these things in another team’s uniform will leave them feeling empty. This is why a situation where they trade him is impossible.
Ohtani’s game cap might no longer have its halo by Opening Day 2024. This is relevant too, as the Angel’s long relationship with him will be moulded by the manner in which they part.
If he is made a solid offer in free agency, but he chooses to sign with a consistent playoff team. It will be hard for an objective witness to blame either party for their actions.
In contrast, a midseason transfer for “maximizing asset value’’ would reduce any chance of Ohtani returning in free agency and may affect the way he will be connected to the organization after his career.
Los Angeles may hush the talks of a trade by winning more matches, but this won’t be easy. They end the first half with the LA Dodgers and open the second half against the Houston Astros who are World Series champions.
Trout will be absent from the lineup while he recovers from hamate surgery, and Ohtani’s next pitching task is uncertain after his most recent start left him with a blister on his right middle finger. The Angels who had the fourth-best record in the American League on June 18 are now trailing behind the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and Boston Red Sox for the third and final Wild Card spot.
Shohei joining Los Angeles Angels in December 2017 is one of the best trades in sports history, due to the international transfer rules that oversaw the move. All he has done since his signing is to elevate baseball domestically and internationally, with a series of achievements that no one has attained previously. The Angels got value from this relationship a long time ago.
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