Angels Insider examines Shohei Ohtani's complex relationship with Los Angeles Angels ownership as free agency draws nearer
Any fan who has paid even marginal attention to baseball news knows the name Shohei Ohtani. A former MVP and Rookie of the Year, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Japanese stud represents a new standard of MLB superstardom.
A two-way star, Ohtani is as lethal on the mound as he is in the batters box. He is a power-hitting flamethrower and also became the first ever player to strike out more than 100 batters while hitting at least 100 RBIs of his own.
As gifted as Ohtani is, the situation with his team has not been straightforward.
He has bee a member of the Los Angeles Angels since breaking into the MLB back in 2018. However, Ohtani has been unable to secure a long-term future with the team, instead being strung along on a succession of one-year deals. The latest of those is worth some $30 million.
Shohei Ohtani takes an evening stroll. https://t.co/9gyiJZbHHx
"Shohei Ohtani takes an evening stroll." - MLB
While nobody doubts Shohei Ohtani's talent, many blame Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno for the organization's hesitation in giving Ohtani a long-term contract. Many believe that extreme frugality within the franchise is stopping them from putting in a large offer to the Iwate Prefecture native.
As such, many expect Ohtani to depart the team when he assumes free agency after the season. While many have identified the Los Angeles Dodgers as a prime contender to land the slugger, nobody is sure what will happen.
In a recent piece for the LA Times, writer Dylan Hernandez postulated that Shohei Ohtani could potentially stay with the Angels. In his piece, Hernandez stated:
"The popular opinion around the game is that Ohtani is bound to sign elsewhere — I’ve written before that he should move to a perennial contender, both for his sake and baseball’s — but the Angels aren’t counting themselves out just yet"
According to Hernandez, the Angels are taking their time with Ohtani, and could possibly have a massive qualifying offer in store come season's end. There was, however, no concrete evidence to back up Hernandez's claim that Ohtani will stay in Anaheim.
The Angels will need to do what they can to get value from Shohei Ohtani
While it is quite frankly, impossible to know what background mumblings implicate Shohei Ohtani at this stage, everybody knows the value that he brings.
It seems difficult to imagine a future in which the Angels, who are now 6.5 games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West, could sign Ohtani. However, anything is possible when dealing with an ace of this calibre.