Despite being the best player in baseball, showing he’s both a dominant hitter and an ace pitcher, Shohei Ohtani has never made the playoffs since joining MLB six seasons ago. Making matters worse, the Los Angeles Angels still aren’t on track to reach the postseason, sitting at 45-46, sliding down the power rankings.
Ohtani is the AL MVP frontrunner, yet with the Angels struggling again, the trade rumors that have surrounded the two-way sensation aren’t deteriorating any time soon.
Now with a bit of extra time on his hands, reporters had the chance to speak with the Japanese baseball phenom at the All-Star break, where the 29-year-old opened up about his future in Los Angeles. Asked how he feels about his team’s inability to play into October, it’s clear Ohtani wants to win.
“Those feelings get stronger year by year. It sucks to lose. He wants to win, so it gets stronger every year.”
Shohei Ohtani on his desire to win, through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara
Don’t expect the Ohtani trade talk to go away any time soon, as he’s in the final year of arbitration eligibility with the Angels and can enter unrestricted free agency this offseason. MLB’s trade deadline is set for Aug. 1, but according to baseball insider Ken Rosenthal, it would be a “major upset” if Ohtani were traded this season.
Still, that won’t prevent teams from trying to prepare a mega-offer for the face of MLB anyway. As you can imagine, the Angels aren’t exactly eager to discuss trading their franchise icon away.