The clock is ticking for the Los Angeles Angels. Shohei Ohtani is about to be a free agent and the franchise has to figure out how to keep him.
Although the Angels were able to agree to a monster one-year deal to avoid arbitration with their two-way phenom, he could leave the team as early as next offseason. The odds of Ohtani remaining with the Angels don't seem to be very strong, according to one source speaking to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
“The chance of him being an Angel on Opening Day 2024 is about 5 percent,” said one rival executive, according to the New York Post. Although this is just one individual's perspective, it does show that the Angels have to do a lot of work regarding their future with Ohtani.
The Angels trading Ohtani this offseason if they believe he is truly going to leave would be shocking, especially now that teams are somewhat close to pitchers and catchers reporting for Spring Training. Los Angeles has added some talent in the form of Tyler Anderson and Brandon Drury as it looks to finally become a winning team but it may take more than that to convince the 28-year-old to stay.
There will be no shortage of suitors if Shohei Ohtani truly becomes available. The fervor would be similar to that of Juan Soto becoming available at last season's trade deadline. Lots of teams would prepare sizable contracts and trades containing tons of great prospects. The Angels losing Ohtani would be a major blow to the franchise — one that would be very tough to recover from.
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