Despite all of their recent faults, the Los Angeles Angels desperately tried to prevent this day from happening. The organization assumed the role of buyers ahead of the MLB trade deadline, and when that did not work, attempted to accelerate the development of some of its top prospects in order to convince Shohei Ohtani that a promising baseball product was on the horizon.
In the end, though, the Japanese megastar agreed to a 10-year contract with the Dodgers for a whopping $700 million. The unequivocal face of baseball will remain in LA, giving Halos fans a neighborhood-view of his potential history-making feats and championship celebrations.
That last part is obviously not guaranteed, especially given the Dodgers' recent October misadventures, but the point remains the same. One of the world's most prominent athletes fell out of the Angels' grasp and landed on Vin Scully Avenue. However, they will be given a small consolation for losing the recently-crowned American League MVP.
Angels at least come away with something after seeing Ohtani walk
“With Shohei Ohtani agreeing to a record deal with the Dodgers, the Angels would receive a {compensatory} pick before Round 3, and the Dodgers would forfeit their 2nd- and 5th-highest picks and $1 million from their international bonus pool,” MLB Pipeline posted on X.
That piece of information will do little to mend Anaheim's heartbreak right now, mainly because the team could have traded him for more assets at the deadline. But at least the franchise will get an opportunity to build this dilapidated baseball institution back up with a prospect. Optimism does not appear to be on fans' offseason agenda, though.
the greatness of Ohtani and Mike Trout have provided somewhat of a distraction amid a decadelong postseason drought. There is no dodging the problem any longer (pun intended). Trout, who is now a very distant second in the biggest MLB contracts of all-time category, could follow Shotime out the door if the front office is committed to a complete overhaul.
The heartbreak could just be getting started, as Angels general manager Perry Minasian has more uncomfortable scenarios to ponder this winter. Hopefully, this compensatory draft pick could ease the fan base's pain a bit- you know, years from now when its value is actually determined.
The wait for a relevant baseball team will ideally not take as long, but continued futility certainly cannot be ruled out.
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