MLB insider Jeff Passan made an appearance on ESPN on Thursday morning, and left baseball fans with a reflection about Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani and his future.
Talking on Get Up, he basically said that the Angels’ performance will likely dictate Ohtani’s next move and/or location, to some extent.
Seeing how controversial the topic was, the reporter went to his Twitter account and clarified the issue.
“Here’s what I said on @GetUpESPN this morning. This is nothing new. If the Angels are out of contention — they are 9-9 with a +11 run differential — then they’d be foolish not to move Ohtani. And if you saw him at the WBC, it’s clear: Winning is an absolute priority for him,” he tweeted.
Here’s what I said on @GetUpESPN this morning.
This is nothing new. If the Angels are out of contention — they are 9-9 with a +11 run differential — then they’d be foolish not to move Ohtani.
And if you saw him at the WBC, it’s clear: Winning is an absolute priority for him. https://t.co/abH7jvOR2K
—Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 20, 2023
Passan is right: if the Angels are not in the playoff picture by the time the trade deadline comes, their smartest move would be to trade Ohtani to a contender willing to give them some prospects.
Last year, the Chicago Cubs had Willson Contreras on the last year of his deal, and didn’t trade him at the deadline.
They ended up losing him for almost nothing.
Now, if the Angels are in the race come the deadline, you can bet Ohtani will finish out the season with them.
If they make the playoffs and are competitive once they are there, there is a chance the Japanese star re-signs with them.
If, on the contrary, they are the same old Angels that can’t compete with the elite of the league, you can be sure he won’t even consider the team when free agency starts.
It’s as simple as that: show me you can win, and I’ll think about re-signing.
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MLB Insider Reveals How The Angels Could Lose Shohei Ohtani
