Shohei Ohtani signed a massive 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB free agency this past offseason. The deal took the entire sports world by storm. So did Ohtani's former team, the Los Angeles Angels, expect him to receive that much money?
Ohtani, who of course spent the first portion of his career in Anaheim, entered free agency this past offseason. The Angels had opted not to trade Ohtani despite the widely-held belief among the MLB world that the two-way phenom would depart in free agency.
Sure enough, Ohtani signed with the Dodgers and the Angels are now trying to compete despite losing one of the greatest players ever. To make matters even worse, or more embarrassing in a sense, the Halos dropped the ball on their Ohtani contract prediction.
The Angels probably did not plan the situation correctly. In fact, a source revealed that Angels owner Arte Moreno thought Ohtani would receive a contract that would “start with a 4” in MLB free agency, per Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated. Verducci added that the ball club ultimately opted not to trade the superstar before the 2023 deadline and that they would worry about the future during the offseason.
And that's just not great management for any professional sports team.
Shohei Ohtani is already a Dodgers fan-favorite
Losing Shohei Ohtani for nothing more than a draft pick was a difficult way to lose a great superstar. The Angels could have at least traded him away for some quality prospects or even MLB talent. Instead, the Halos watched Ohtani land a massive contract with their cross-town rival.
Ohtani is already a fan-favorite with the Dodgers. He's receiving murals in LA and fans are buying his jersey. The Dodgers are expecting to win multiple championships with Ohtani on the roster.
Meanwhile, the Angels are hoping to contend in 2024. Mike Trout has remained loyal to the team and Ron Washington, who is respected around the entire MLB world, was hired as manager. Still, the Halos don't feature a World Series contending roster.
At the end of the day, a playoff appearance would suffice after losing Ohtani. After all, the Angels haven't played meaningful baseball in October since 2014.
Ohtani has an opportunity to play competitive baseball
Ohtani is surely excited to have a consistent chance to win now. Even the players who have been on winning teams, such as Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, are awestruck by Ohtani's hitting and pitching prowess at the big league level.
“To see him hitting and pitching, I was like, ‘oh my gosh,'” Betts said of Ohtani on MLB Network.
“That's the stuff you do as a kid,” Freeman added. “And he's doing it in the big leagues. Even back then, all of us were like, ‘how is this even possible?' You know what I mean? It's just amazing to watch because he's doing it at the highest level and pretty much better than everybody else.”
“I think that's the coolest part,” Betts responded. “Like, how are you better than everybody else?”
Shohei Ohtani is a special player. He won't pitch in 2024 due to injury, but Shohei is still going to make an immense impact with his bat. The Dodgers have a realistic chance to be unstoppable in 2024 with Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman leading the charge.
Follow Us
Subscribe