Will Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani (29) finish the season with the Angels without being traded?
On the 7th (Korean time), MLB.com, the official major league media outlet, said, “Mike Trout probably won’t be back until next month. maybe it will take longer The Angels suffered a series sweep by San Diego, losing 11 of their last 15 games. What does all of this mean for Ohtani’s future? It’s nothing,” he dismissed the possibility of Ohtani’s trade.
Ohtani had his best season this season, recording a batting average of 2.96 (99 hits in 334 bats), 31 home runs, 68 RBIs, an OPS of 1.033 in 87 games as a hitter, and 7 wins, 4 losses, and an ERA of 3.32 in 17 games (100⅓ innings) as a pitcher. there is. After winning the American League MVP unanimously in 2021, the second MVP award in his career is likely.안전놀이터
However, despite Ohtani’s performance, the Angels’ prospects for advancing to the postseason this season are getting darker. He is 45-44 with a .506 winning percentage of over .506, but is still in third place in the American League West and sixth in the wild card. It is 3.5 games behind the Yankees and Toronto (48-40), tied for third place in the wild card. According to the probability of advancing to the postseason provided by Fan Graph, an American baseball statistics website, the Angels’ probability of advancing to the postseason is only 3.7%.
Ohtani will be eligible for free agency after the end of this season. The overall outlook is that a contract worth more than $500 million (approximately 652.9 billion won) is already confirmed for the first time in major league history. In a situation where it is not easy to sign an extension contract with Ohtani in reality, there are constant claims that the Angels should trade Ohtani.
Regarding this prospect, MLB.com said, “Few baseball officials believe that the Angels can trade Ohtani before the trade deadline, just because they have fallen precipitously. Of course, the possibility of securing young talent is attractive. If the Angels continue to underperform, they could discuss trade scenarios with other teams. But requesting a trade from the owner’s group and getting approval is another thing. If he was going to trade Ohtani, he should have traded last year, when he was lower in the rankings and had a longer contract.”
MLB.com said, “Even if the Angels don’t make it to the postseason, it’s worth keeping Ohtani on the roster until he goes to free agency. Every time he plays, the number of viewers watching is significant. Here comes marketing revenue and donations. He’s very likely to win a second MVP award. Ohtani leads the majors in home runs with 31 home runs, and he may challenge for 60 later in the season. If you’re an Angels fan or a senior member of the club, can you imagine him doing it in a different uniform? Therefore, the possibility of Ohtani being traded is low.”
Ohtani is expected to consider not only the size of the contract but also the strength of the team that can steadily advance to the postseason and challenge for the World Series championship when deciding where to go if he becomes a free agent. MLB.com predicted that it would be difficult for the Angels to achieve good results, saying, “The Angels can win more games and put down the trade rumors, but it won’t be easy.”
However, MLB.com emphasized that the Angels had already seen great results from Ohtani’s acquisition. “When Ohtani came to the Angels in December 2017, he came with the cheapest contract in professional sports history because of international amateur rules. What he has done since then is an achievement that no one else has been able to achieve. The Angels have already enjoyed the full value of this partnership a long time ago.”