The Los Angeles Angels failed to meet expectations in the 2022 MLB season, and missed the playoffs yet again despite fielding arguably their best team in the past few seasons. It was another disappointing season for the Angels, it has caused their star two-way player, Shohei Ohtani, to begin contemplating his future with Los Angeles.
The 2022 season was supposed to be the year where Ohtani and star outfielder Mike Trout finally got some help to allow them to make a playoff run in the American League West. After a hot start to the season, L.A. completely fell apart, and ended up firing their manager Joe Maddon in the midst of their 12-game losing streak in June.
Ohtani's future with the team began to become a big question at the trade deadline, but he ended up agreeing to a one-year, $30 million deal to avoid arbitration this offseason. But after that deal expires, Ohtani will be eligible for free agency, and he may ultimately decide to move on from a desolate Angels team. Here are two big reasons why Ohtani should end up leaving the Angels after his contract expires next offseason.
2. Shohei Ohtani is getting virtually no help from his Angels teammates
It's clear that over the past two seasons, Ohtani has become the most valuable player in the majors because of his ability to hit and pitch. Not just that, but Ohtani has become the Angels best hitter and pitcher over that stretch too. After Ohtani, the Angels don't have much support for him when it comes to their lineup and their pitching staff.
In the lineup, there is obviously Trout, who had a better season at the plate than Ohtani when he was actually on the field. But after that, Taylor Ward was really the only other player who had any sort of consistent production for L.A. Players like Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh were expected to help, but Rendon was awful in the 49 games he played, and Walsh was even worse in the 118 games he played.
The pitching staff was a little bit better this season, but not by much. Ohtani was easily the Angels best pitcher in their starting rotation this season, and he formed an effective one-two punch with Patrick Sandoval atop the rotation. Reid Detmers, Jose Suarez, and Michael Lorenzen rounded things out, but Ohtani's 2.33 ERA was miles ahead of all these guys.
Despite the collective lack of help surrounding him, Shohei Ohtani has managed to produce at an incredible rate on both the mound and in the batter's box for Los Angeles. Chances are he would be able to do the same, if not more, with another team that has players who can help Ohtani in his questo to win. Unless something drastic happens in L.A. next season, the Angels are not that team for him.
1. The Angels are not going to win anything anytime soon
Of course, it's far more likely that the Angels are going to continue to struggle next season. They simply don't have enough hitting in their lineup, and any sort of consistency in their pitching staff, to help them fix their recent stretch of losing. If Ohtani wants to win in the MLB, he needs to leave the Angels as soon as possible.
The Angels haven't won a playoff game since all the way back in 2009 after they got swept out of the Divisional Round by the Kansas City Chiefs back in 2014. Given the state of their roster, that isn't going to change anytime soon. Having stars like Ohtani and Trout is nice, but there is no support for them, and that's what is killing Los Angeles.
It doesn't help that the Angels farm system is completely barren, but that's what happens when you get trapped in mediocrity for a decade. Los Angeles hasn't been able to consistently develop their own talent, and when you combine that with all the other misses they have had in free agency and the trade market, it's not hard to see where their struggles come from.
The Angels have the money to give Ohtani the huge contract he will command, but they would be better suited to just blow things up and undergo a rebuild. The Washington Nationals did the exact same thing when they traded Juan Soto at the trade deadline, because they realized they weren't going to contend anytime soon, and the same thing is happening with Los Angeles.
For whatever reason, the Angels believe they can win with their current core, despite the fact that they haven't won anything in over a decade now. The right move would be blowing up their team, and starting from scratch, because chances are Ohtani will not re-sign with them in free agency. Either way, Shohei Ohtani appears to already be considering his future, and it's clear it would be best if he left to find a new home.
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