The Los Angeles Angels sent a press release earlier this week thanking Shohei Ohtani for his historic six-year run with the organization after he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was pretty much a company line statement that was seemingly approved by embattled owner Arte Moreno.
“Shohei Ohtani is a generational player and it was an honor to watch him make history throughout his six seasons he spent in an Angels uniform,” the Los Angeles Angels said in a statement released on X. “We feel extremely fortunate that Angels fans were able to witness him redefine what is possible in our sport.”
Now that Ohtani was officially introduced as a member of the Dodgers Thursday afternoon, we’re hearing more about the Angels “attempts” to retain the game’s best player.
Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports that the Angels did not match the 10-year, $700 million offer their Southern California rivals ended up signing Ohtani to.
This also aligns with what Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, had to say earlier on Thursday.
“I won’t go there,” Balelo said about the finances in Shohei Ohtani contract talks with the Los Angeles Angels. “But just jnow that we had real discussions. The Angels had every opportunity. And we had every opportunity. “But at the end, it just wasn’t going to work out.”
Ohtani ended up signing with the Dodgers despite his camp offering the San Francisco Giants the very same $700 million contract proposal with $680 in deferred money. It seemed as if the Giants exhausted every opportunity to acquire Ohtani while the Angels didn’t.
New report on Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani is damning
Despite having two of the game’s best players in Ohtani and Mike Trout over the past six seasons, the Angels failed to make a single playoff appearance. They didn’t finish over .500 during that span, either.
It’s pretty damning considering the talent level these two boast. Sure, both Ohtani and Trout have dealt with injuries. But this doesn’t paint these Angels in the best of lights.
The backdrop here includes Moreno initially putting the Los Angeles Angels up for sale before taking them off the market roughly a calendar year ago. He also reportedly turned down $2.5 billion for the franchise.
One now has to wonder whether Trout will ask out. He had previously indicated he’s committed to the organization. But this entire Ohtani thing could very well change things.