"I had a feeling it was going to be the Dodgers" - Mike Trout not surprised by Shohei Ohtani's $700,000,000 switch to Los Angeles rivals

For the first time since the biggest free agent move in MLB history, Mike Trout shared his thoughts about Shohei Ohtani's exodus from Anaheim. The Los Angeles Angels superstar finally broke his silence about his former bash brother's $700 million move to the blue side of the city.

Speaking on the "Angels Recap with Trent Rush" podcast, the three-time MVP had a tone akin to confidence and stated he had a hunch that Ohtani would join the Los Angeles Dodgers during the course of last season.

"Everybody was asking me before he made his decision, I kinda had a feeling it was going to be the Dodgers throughout the year, last year."

The star outfielder also congratulated Ohtani for scoring the biggest contract handed out in sports history and noted that he deserved it.

"It was just the main talk on the internet. But I'm happy for him, he deserves every bit of it and we'll see what happens."

During the podcast, Trout also shared his enthusiasm and excitement for the young Angels core that boasts Mickey Moniak, Logan O'Hoppe, and Jo Adell. The 32-year-old is set to lead the new look Angels this year with minimal expectations as the team is looking towards the development of their young stars for the long run.

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani's legendary face-off

No matter how much time has passed, one must remember where they were on the day Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani squared off in the World Baseball Classic.

The epic face-off between Trout and Ohtani, who were named as captains of their respective countries, the United States and Japan, piqued the interest not only of baseball fans worldwide but also the mainstream.

In the matchup, Ohtani struck out Trout after a 3-2 count, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the USA trailing by one run. The two-way superstar threw his favorite sweeper, a variation of a slider, to force a whiff from Mike Trout. This gave Japan its first WBC title since 2009.

Many people were wondering about the what-ifs of the Trout-Ohtani combo, had the pair stayed healthy throughout their Angels tenure. Now, fans will be treated to a continuation of the rivalry between the two in the Freeway Series.