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Here’s Why LA Angels Are Reportedly ‘Not Hanging Up the Phone’ on Potential Offers for Two-Way Megastar Shohei Ohtani

Published 07/29/2022, 8:12 AM EDT

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A player like Shohei Ohtani is a box of treasure. Not only for the team he plays for, but for the entire sport. When players like Ohtani enter the ballpark, baseball is the ultimate winner. A two-way megastar on the constant rise, Ohtani is the epitome crowd-puller. The prime reason is his unique ability to smash the ball as perfectly as he pitches. No wonder the Los Angeles Angels don’t want to trade him away, but times do bring a change.

Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese born MLB megastar. Ohtani is that rare composition of a sporting genius in the field of baseball. He is all together a designated hitter, starting pitcher, and outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels. Drafted into MLB by the Angels in 2018, Shohei Ohtani earlier played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. Nicknamed ‘Shotime’, Ohtani is famous for his supreme entertaining value. 

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The Angels are a team with a range of champion players in their arsenal. Boasting match-winners like Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, etc. A team that looks well set to leave some significant impression in a tournament. But it’s well been the polar opposite in terms of performances for the Angels. Irrespective of Ohtani consistently putting in ground-breaking performances, the Angels again struggled to stay afloat this season. 

The mighty worth of Shohei Ohtani 

Even before entering MLB, Shohei Ohtani was a sensational figure in NPB. His list of achievements is a long read. A southpaw with the bat and pitching with his right arm, Ohtani, is a five-time NPB All-Star. He was largely instrumental in his team’s Japan Series Championship victory in 2016. 

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Playing only his 5th MLB edition, the experts have already compared Ohtani to all-time great baseball legends. People have drawn parallels with legends from the Golden Era Of Baseball, the likes of Wes Ferrell and Babe Ruth. Ohtani won the American League Rookie of the Year award in his debut MLB season in 2018. He is a two-time All-Star player. 

As a pitcher, Ohtani has a 22-10 MLB win-loss record. While also amassing 114 home runs as a batter. He has slammed 21 home runs this season. Notably, Ohtani has also achieved the extraordinary feat of having once hit for the cycle in 2019. The Angels are 9-7 on the win-loss list when Ohtani is the starting pitcher and a poor 33-49 when he isn’t pitching.

According to a source, the New York Post has reported about the thin possibility of a Shohei Ohtani trade. The report stated that an Ohtani trade remains “extremely unlikely” but the Angels are “perhaps for the first time not hanging up the phone,” when teams come calling on Ohtani. However, per speculations, the Angels are awaiting a Juan Soto trade. So any team willing to buy Ohtani would need to beat the price that the Washington Nationals receive for Soto. 

The MLB future of Ohtani 

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The Angels are a team heavily dependent on Shohei Ohtani to win games. Even more so now, given Mike Trout’s fitness issues. On most occasions, the Angels falter in the case of Ohtani’s absence. So it’s evident that the Angels don’t wish to part ways with Ohtani, but he is making much less money keeping his productivity in mind. Ohtani has previously expressed his desire to play for a top-ranked team, and he will hit free agency after the 2023 season.

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Watch This Story – Pitchers’ Nightmare Shohei Ohtani And Mike Trout Partnership Puts On A Home Run Blasting Show 

Which team do you see Shohei Ohtani playing for next? 

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Written by:

Madhurjya Bhuyan

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Madhurjya Bhuyan is an MLB author at EssentiallySports. He has a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in English Literature from Gauhati University and IGNOU, respectively, and also possesses prior professional experience as a content developer. Being a performance artist since childhood, Madhurjya has always aimed to contribute towards creativity in any possible manner, and writing only boosts that desire.
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Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa