Shohei Ohtani Rumors: Angels Don't Intend to Trade Star After 1-Year, $30M Contract

The Los Angeles Angels franchise is facing a sea of uncertainty as owner Arte Moreno explores a sale, but Shohei Ohtani is there to stay.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the Angels have no plan on exploring a trade for their two-way star after reaching an agreement on a one-year, $30 million contract for 2023 to avoid arbitration.

This should come as no surprise, given it makes zero sense for the Angels to trade Ohtani from any perspective. The 28-year-old doubles as one of the sport's premier power hitters and is one of the best pitchers in baseball, a once-in-a-century type of dynamic talent.

From a baseball perspective, you keep Ohtani on the roster and pay him 100 times out of 100.

From a business perspective, having Ohtani under contract will almost certainly increase the sale price for Moreno. Ohtani is one of the most marketable players in the sport, giving the Angels franchise a significant boost in popularity in his native Japan. He currently ranks ninth among baseball's best-selling jerseys on MLB.com.

The sound business call is to keep Ohtani under contract and allow the new ownership group to make a long-term decision.

The Angels have made the playoffs just once since 2009, so having Ohtani and Mike Trout under contract is the most valuable aspect of the franchise.