Washington Nationals’ Juan Soto has been regarded as the best player available at the MLB trade deadline this season, but there was some sharing of the spotlight when reports indicated the Los Angeles Angels were open to moving Shohei Ohtani before 3 p.m. PT on Tuesday.
Ohtani and Soto are both incredible talents who would undeniably provide a boon to any lineup and potentially alter the postseason outlook. Of course, in Ohtani’s case, he’s capable of contributing on the mound as well.
Like with Soto, the list of teams that had interest in an Ohtani trade was robust. The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees were mentioned among the clubs that held some form of trade talks with the Angels over recent days.
However, the Angels have now decided against an Ohtani trade, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
The Yankees are among a few teams that made serious offers for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, but after listening to offers there is now no chance the Angels will part with the amazing two-way player.
Angels owner Arte Moreno wishing to keep his two-way All-Star while Anthony Rendon is out for the season and Mike Trout remains on the 10-day injured list with a back injury was said to be a motivating factor to not trading Ohtani:
Angels owner Arte Moreno is believed unwilling to let Ohtani leave, especially with the team’s two other stars – Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon – out with injuries.
Ohtani is in the final season of a two-year, $8.5 million contract, but still will go through the salary arbitration process a final time. The likelihood of the Angels re-signing Ohtani once he reaches free agency after the 2023 season has steadily declined over recent weeks.
The Dodgers’ reported interest in Ohtani was hardly a surprise, even if a trade seemed nearly impossible.
When Ohtani made the jump to Major League Baseball, he met with the Dodgers and several other teams before ultimately deciding to sign the Angels. While Ohtani has regularly spoken highly of the organization, he also has been open about his desire to win a World Series.
History of Dodgers trades with Angels
Per Baseball Reference, the Dodgers have completed 15 trades with the Angels. However, six were only centered around the sale of a player’s contract.
The most-recent trade between the Dodgers and Angels came in 2019. The Dodgers traded Adam McCreery and Josh Thole to the Angels for cash considerations.
In 2020, there was the failed trade of Joc Pederson, Ross Stripling and Andy Pages in exchange for Luis Rengifo and one or two Minor League players in the Angels farm system. However, Moreno reportedly became upset with a delay caused by a three-team trade between the Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, and pulled the Angels out of the deal.
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