Shohei Ohtani recently put doubts on his future with the Los Angeles Angels after expressing his desire to win at the highest level. However, perhaps in a bid to stop the speculations from further spreading, he reiterated his love for the team.
Per the Associated Press, Ohtani shared that he is “very open” to signing a long-term contract with the Angels, noting that the team has been nothing but supportive of him and his growth since his arrival in 2018.
“Of course, I’ll be very open to negotiation. The team is supporting me for this whole four years, and I’m really appreciative of that,” Ohtani said. “Whether or not there’s any contract extensions I just want to, like I said earlier, be ready and be ready for next season.”
Shohei Ohtani is heading to his fifth campaign with the Angels after another losing season. He will be making $5.5 million in 2022 in the final year of his two-year contract. However, as the Japanese superstar said after their final regular season home game last week, the LA team have not yet engaged him and his camp on extension talks.
The Angels will surely want to keep Ohtani in the fold for the long-term, but it is clear they have to do more than just offer him a boatload of money to retain his services. As Ohtani said, what’s important to him is winning and that precedes his love for the franchise.
“I really like the team, I love the fans and the atmosphere as a team,” Ohtani said, per CBS Sports . “But more than that, I want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me. I’ll leave it at that.”
Ohtani had another sensational season, one in which he’s considered the runaway American League MVP winner. The Angels certainly don’t want to lose that kind of talent early on.
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