Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
At the start of what is sure to be an offseason full of rumors surrounding one of the best players in baseball, Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian tried to shut some of those rumors down before they even start.
Minasian at the start of the GM Meetings said the team won’t trade star pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani this offseason, according to Sam Blum of The Athletic. He also said recently the team had “no appetite” to trade him.
Ohtani has one year left on his deal with the Angels before hitting free agency at 29 years old. He won American League MVP in 2021, and he’s a finalist again in 2022. That might be an every-year thing as long as he’s healthy.
This year, Ohtani put up a .273/.356/.519/.875 slash line, 145 OPS+ and 3.8 fWAR as a hitter and a 2.33 ERA (2.40 FIP), 172 ERA+ and 5.6 fWAR as a pitcher over 166 innings.
He’s at the same time one of the best pitchers and best power hitters in the league.
Now, while Minasian says Ohtani won’t be traded, that’s the favorite line of many GMs around the league. With one year left on his deal and no real indication Ohtani is working toward a long-term deal with Los Angeles, it would behoove Minasian to at least feel out the market. He could still get a king’s ransom with just one year left of team control. (Check out our trade profile of Ohtani.)
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said in June that Juan Soto wouldn’t be traded. He was traded in July. Now, while Soto had more left in team control, that’s all to say words mean one thing. Actions (and a hefty trade offer) mean another.
