Shohei Ohtani spent the first six years of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels.
With them, he broke records, helped put them back on the map, and won two AL MVP awards.
The team structure was never good enough for Ohtani to make the playoffs, though.
When it was time to sign a long, lucrative free-agent contract, Ohtani always had the Angels in mind even though people, at least most of them, didn’t want him to re-sign there.
They were given a chance to match the agreed proposal between Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers: 10 years, $700 million, with heavy deferrals just like he signed.
Some teams actually matched that: the San Francisco Giants did, according to baseball leader Farhan Zaidi, but he ended up choosing the Dodgers.
The Angels?
Nope.
“The Angels did not match the Dodgers’ 10-year, $700 million contract offer to Shohei Ohtani, per @ByJackHarris,” Talkin’ Baseball tweeted.
The Angels did not match the Dodgers’ 10-year, $700 million contract offer to Shohei Ohtani, per @ByJackHarris pic.twitter.com/YoD1gxASdQ
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) December 15, 2023
It’s unclear what was the Angels’ best proposal to Ohtani, but they were always considered to be “in the race”.
Still, it should be at least a little disappointing for Angels fans to hear that their owner and front office decided not to be the highest bidder for a player who gave so much to them.
The two parties are now forced to go separate ways: Ohtani is finally on a perennial contender and will likely play playoff baseball for the first time in 2024.
The Angels, on the other hand, are surrounded by uncertainty and a rebuild might be coming eventually.
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Angels Fans Receive A Farewell From Special Figure
