“Baseball genius” Shohei Ohtani (29-LA Angels) is once again a trade target. The Major League Baseball (MLB) trade deadline is approaching on August 2. Angels manager Phil Nevin said on Monday (Aug. 18), “I’ve been hearing trade speculation about Ohtani before every game. I’m getting the same questions every day, so I can’t ignore (the possibility) anymore.”
There’s a reason. The Angels are getting further and further away from fall baseball. At 47-48 (.495 winning percentage), the Angels are in fourth place in the American League West. They’ve recently lost their best hitter, Mike Trout, to injury.
Ohtani, the team’s biggest star, is a free agent after this season. There is already speculation that the total value of his contract will easily exceed $500 million (approximately $63.65 billion). It’s unlikely that Ohtani, who wants to be on a team that can win, will stay with the Angels. Ultimately, the Angels would be best served by sending him to a team that is contending for a championship this season in exchange for a top prospect.
“The Angels have yet to confirm whether they will trade Ohtani, but with each loss, the likelihood of owner Arte Moreno instructing the front office to move him increases,” ESPN noted. “Ohtani’s next home start against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 22 could be his last as a member of the Angels.”
“There’s a 25 percent chance the Angels will trade Ohtani and a 5 to 10 percent chance he’ll stay with the Angels,” MLB.com said, adding that the California-based team is unlikely to be a trade candidate. Moreno is reluctant to send Ohtani to an in-state rival.” The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and San Diego Padres are in California.
The Baltimore Orioles are the most likely destination, according to MLB.com. The second-place AL East team has a better winning percentage (.619) than the first-place team in the Midwest Division and has eight players ranked in the top 100 MLB prospect rankings. 안전놀이터
Referring to the New York Yankees, Fox Sports said, “The Yankees are hungry for a win, but a postseason berth is out of reach. The team should begin negotiations with Moreno immediately.” Coincidentally, Ohtani made his presence felt against the Yankees on April 18 with a three-hit blast, including his 35th home run of the season. It was his third home run in his last three games.