Shohei Ohtani Says He's 'Very Open' to Long-Term Contract Extension with Angels

The Los Angeles Angels already have Mike Trout locked in through the 2030 season, and soon, they may have the same kind of long-term security with Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani is due to earn $5.5 million next season and has one more year of arbitration before hitting free agency in 2024. On Sunday, he told reporters he's open to remaining in L.A. well beyond that.

"Of course I'll be very open to negotiation," he said. "I mean the team is supporting me for this whole four years and I'm really appreciative of that. Whether or not there's any contracts extensions I just want to, like I said earlier, be ready and be ready for next season."

Given the terms of Trout's deal (12 years, $426.5 million), one would expect the Angels to table an offer in line with Ohtani's value. The question is whether he will commit his future to a franchise that has Los Angeles' recent record of futility.

Trout is the greatest player of his generation, and he has had a total of 15 plate appearances in the playoffs. The Angels are going to finish fourth in the American League West for the fifth time in six years.

Trout's calf strain has undoubtedly had a hand in Los Angeles' 76-85 record, but there's no getting around the fact that the organization has failed to adequately build around a Hall of Fame-level talent.

Ohtani is getting a taste of what life has been like for Trout.

At the plate, the 27-year-old has 45 home runs and a .959 OPS, while he has posted a 3.18 ERA, a 3.51 FIP and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings, per Baseball Reference. He has put together a campaign that's likely to culminate in an MVP award yet has largely been wasted in terms of his team's collective success.

Ahead of Sunday's finale against the Seattle Mariners, the Japanese star said he's hopeful the Angels can stay healthier in 2022 and that he'll "be looking forward to seeing all the additions that they're going to make."

The need for upgrades is obvious, so Ohtani's comment will echo the belief of many fans who will be expecting the front office to be active.

At the same time, it's impossible to totally separate his contract from the equation and see a statement like that as a tacit acknowledgment that he'll be paying close attention to what the Angels do to improve and in turn entice him to stick around.