Global superstar Shohei Ohtani's contract year has a lot riding on it.
However, unlike conventional contract years where it's on the player to perform, in this case the onus is on the Angels to compete.
Ohtani is slated to be a free agent after this season, and although he plays alongside another face of baseball in Mike Trout, he hasn't made the playoffs. Ohtani won Rookie of the Year in 2018 and MVP in 2021. However, the Angels have never finished above third place in the AL West, nor have they even finished above .500.
According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, if that trend continues, Ohtani definitely won't be coming back to the Angels in 2024, and he might not even make it past the July trade deadline. "As long as the Angels are in contention, as long as the Angels have hope for a playoff spot, Shohei Ohtani is probably not going to be traded at the deadline this year," Passan said.
"But if the Angels fall out of contention and if it's just more of the same as it's been over the past five years since he's been there, he could be traded and he will definitely leave."
"If the Angels fall out of contention ... [Shohei Ohtani] could be traded and he will definitely leave."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 20, 2023
—@JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/evk3nuye1o
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Passan listed the usual suspects as likely landing spots for Ohtani, whose contract bidding could begin at $500 million. The Mets and Dodgers top the conversation with the Yankees, Mariners, and Giants also in the mix.
Angels owner Arte Moreno expressed uncertainty about Ohtani's commitment to the Angels during the World Baseball Classic when the two-way star was playing for Japan.
“Ohtani has to want to be here, too,” Moreno said in March, per The Athletic. “It’s a two-way street. When I started talking to Mike, and I spent a lot of time with Mike (Trout), I just said, ‘You have to make a decision. Is this where you want to be? Is this where you want your family to be?’ And when we start sitting down with the (Ohtani’s) agent, and Ohtani, he has to figure out if this is where he wants to be.”
The Angels are 9-9 in the early-going of the season, second in the AL West behind the Rangers. It's no secret there's a shot clock for Los Angeles to get into contention if it wants to keep Ohtani in the fold. However, it looks like that clock is dwindling down to August rather than October.
