Shohei Ohtani Addresses Angels Future

Shohei Ohtani hasn’t exactly done much to quiet the storm that continues to grow more and more menacing when it comes to his future with the Los Angeles Angels. After a week in which the superstar has been the constant subject of trade talks, including being linked with a blockbuster move to the Mets, the man himself has broken his silence on the matter.

It probably doesn’t make great reading for Angels fans. Speaking to Sam Blum of The Athletic after the Angels’ loss to the Rangers on Thursday, Ohtani said this about his future with the organization that brought him to the majors in 2017. “Regardless of where I’m playing, I want to give it my all, try to win the ballgame that’s right in front of me,” Ohtani said. “I’m with the Angels right now. And I’m very thankful for what they’ve done. I really love the team. I love my teammates. Right now I’m an Angel, and that’s all I can really focus on at this point.”

That is hardly a glowing endorsement when it comes to the Angels, and it does back up other reports that state Ohtani is only interested in winning now and would be reluctant to sign a long-term extension once he’s available to hit the open market in 2023 given that the franchise has consistently failed to put a winning product out on the field. That’s despite having both Ohtani and Mike Trout – two generational talents – on the same roster together at the same time.

To clarify; Ohtani’s current two-year, $8.5 million deal with the Angels expires at the end of the current season. He will be eligible for a final year of salary arbitration after that before hitting Free Agency. Again, the unicorn talent has made it clear that he wants to play for a winner and the Angels are a long, long way from that right now.

That’s where the Mets come in. As we covered earlier this week, former long-time MLB GM Jim Bowden, now with CBS, reported that New York Mets general manager Billy Eppler has touched base with the Angels about a potential trade for Ohtani. Now, it is important to remember that Eppler was the one who actually brought Ohtani to the majors in 2017 while serving as GM of the Angels, and the two are thought to share a close relationship.

Ohtani would make a lot of sense for the Mets for a multitude of different reasons. Firstly; the Mets are perfectly poised to win now and they are also in one of the biggest markets in the world which would allow Ohtani to brighten his star on and off the field a lot more than he’s able to do with the Angels. Secondly; the generational talent is unlike a player we’ve ever seen before and he’s doing historical things both on the mound and at the plate. There isn’t a single team in MLB who wouldn’t want to be in on the Ohtani sweepstakes.

Again, there’s also the important factor that Eppler already has an established relationship with Ohtani and that could prove to be key in any potential trade. But the Mets, who want to become the flagship franchise in New York under owner Steve Cohen, would likely move heaven and earth for a player who continues to do special things on a nightly basis.

Ohtani struck out 11 batters for the Angels in a loss to the Rangers on Thursday – reaching double-digit strikeouts for the sixth consecutive start. His ERA now sits at a stellar 2.81 and he’s currently slashing .254/.349/.486 at the plate with 21 home runs and 59 RBI with 11 stolen bases. Who wouldn’t want to widen their win-now window with a player of that insane talent level?

Of course, there’s a couple of important caveats at play here. As reported by Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post, it is very unlikely Ohtani is dealt before the trade deadline on August 2, especially with the future of Nationals slugger Juan Soto dominating the landscape, and it is also doubtful that the Angels would pull the trigger on dealing one of the most exciting talents in the history of the sport.

It would also take a hell of a package to obtain Ohtani – some reports have suggested established major leaguers while the Post has reported that it would take a team’s top four prospects – but we are talking a historical package in order to land a historical player that is only making more and more history with each passing day.

As a result, the chances of the Mets shocking the sports world by swinging a landmark trade for Ohtani before August 2 seems pretty impossible at this point. However, given Ohtani’s own reluctance to really shoot down any trade speculation and indeed commit his future to the Angels, there does remain a potential pathway for the Mets to be able pick the phone back up and tempt the Angels with an offer that is too good to refuse in the winter. Or, just maybe, Eppler banks on his personal relationship with the player and decides to wait until he hits free agency in 2023 where he can then maximize all of Cohen’s wealth and resources to bring one of the biggest stars in the game to New York without giving up anything. Again, this is going to be an interesting situation worth keeping an eye on.