Time certainly does fly. It's been six seasons since Shohei Ohtani first appeared in the MLB for the Los Angeles Angels, with every passing day putting perhaps the biggest star in the game today that much closer to free agency. With the Angels not necessarily being one of the best teams in the league, as they're right in the thick of a tight AL playoff picture at the moment, trade rumors surrounding the Japanese international should only heat up the closer we approach the trade deadline.

However, it seems like the Angels will be holding onto Ohtani and see the season through with the 28-year old dual threat, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Rosenthal, speaking with Kevin Burkhardt of Fox Sports 1, was adamant in his belief that Shohei Ohtani will be ending the 2023 season in an Angels uniform.

“I don't see him getting traded. Obviously, if the Angels fall out of the [playoff picture, it's a] different story. But it's difficult to fall out of contention, when you have three wild cards,” Rosenthal said.

If the season ended today, the Angels would find themselves on the outside looking in on the playoff picture. But at the moment, there are two months of baseball left to go before the trade deadline passes, so the Angels have plenty of time to try to make it work with Shohei Ohtani on the roster.

In fact, Rosenthal believes that the Angels, given their offseason and midseason moves, will be fighting until the end to break the franchise's eight-year playoff drought.

“They spent the offseason adding a number of players. Tyler Anderson, [Gio] Urshela, [Brandon] Drury. Right down the line, relievers as well. And then this season, they've been aggressively promoting prospects,” Rosenthal added. “They're gonna stay in it as long as they possibly can. […] They're three [games] over .500 right now.”

At the very least, with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani playing at their best, the Angels will have a shot to remain competitive deep into the playoffs. And for the franchise's long-term health, they'll be hoping that if they make the playoffs, they go all the way lest they risk losing Ohtani with nothing to show for it.