Shohei Ohtani is about to embark on the biggest free agency journey any baseball player has ever done. He, like Aaron Judge in 2022, will likely win the MVP heading into free agency. Unlike Judge, the Japanese superstar might also be a Cy Young finalist.
The Los Angeles Angels are clinging to an outside chance of making it as a Wild Card right now. They faded in recent weeks, which opened them up to the idea of trading Ohtani. Even as they've won six of eight, they're still listening to calls per reports.
MLB reporter Jon Morosi said:
"The Angels have communicated about Shohei Ohtani trade scenarios with other teams in recent days. Even as the Angels have won 6 of 8, the possibility of an Ohtani trade remains. The Angels are at 9.6% in the latest Baseball Reference playoff odds projection."
The Angels believe they can re-sign Ohtani at year's end, but they may not if the right offer comes along. Furthermore, he may want to go somewhere he can win after another season of missing out. If that's the case, the Angels will have lost perhaps the most talented baseball player ever for nothing.
If they trade him, even if it's for half a season, they will receive a nice package in return. They can use that to build for the future since they're not all that good presently.
MLB fans are split on how the Angels should proceed from this stage:
There is no consensus over what the Angels should do.
What the Angels can do with Shohei Ohtani
The Los Angeles Angels are in a sheer conundrum with Shohei Ohtani. They want to take this year to convince him that they can do well, thus giving him another reason to re-sign. However, they're not primed for a deep playoff run even if they sneak in.
The worst-case scenario is that they keep him in a Wild Card push, don't make it and lose him to free agency for nothing. The best-case scenario is that he and Mike Trout lead them to the postseason and maybe even win a World Series, but that is an absolute longshot right now.