The maelstrom of the Juan Soto sweepstakes cast a southern California sized shadow over the trade deadline, and for good reason. It’s exceedingly rare that a player of Soto’s caliber becomes available at the deadline, which is why the Padres were willing to send multiple top prospects and Luke Voit (not Eric Hosmer) to Washington to land Juan Soto and Josh Bell. But it’s also exceedingly rare that another team buried in the cellar would hold onto the most dynamic player in baseball despite significant interest and that’s exactly what the Angels did with Shohei Ohtani.
Despite teams like the Dodgers trying to engage in trade talks for the two-way 2020 AL MVP, the Angels decided to hold onto the modern day Babe Ruth. Despite the fact that Ohtani is set to hit free agency next season and has hinted at a desire to play for a contender. Which, isn’t going to be the Angels anytime soon. Maybe towards the end of the decade.
In a recent article, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported the thoughts of several rival executives who are somewhat baffled that the Angels did not explore trading Ohtani more seriously.
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“In fourteen months, he’s out the door. And once he’s out the door, he’s never coming back.”
It’s a fine point. The Angels seemingly had the option to get something in return for Ohtani in a trade market that was significantly favorable to sellers.
The Orange County Angels were reportedly asking for the top four prospects of potential suitors’ farm system, but had they lowered their asking price just a bit, or been more open to the entire idea of sending out their main attraction, they might have been able to cash in.
That being said, teams will come calling again this winter for Ohtani and there’s always next year for the Angels to trade one of the best players in all of baseball.
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