Shohei Ohtani Named Angels' Opening Day Starter amid Contract, Trade Speculation

The Los Angeles Angels announced Shohei Ohtani will be their Opening Day starter on March 30 against the Oakland Athletics.

Ohtani is due to be a free agent in 2024, which has raised uncertainty over his long-term future in Los Angeles. General manager Perry Minasian said in November the team had no plans to move the 2021 American League MVP this offseason.

Team owner Arte Moreno, who's no longer exploring a sale of the team, told the New York Post's Jon Heyman on Feb. 8 he hopes Ohtani remains an Angel for the foreseeable future.

"I'd like to keep Ohtani," he said. "He's one of a kind, He's a great person. He's obviously one of the most popular baseball players in the world, and he's an international star. He's a great teammate. He works hard. He's a funny guy, and he has a really good rapport with fans."

The Angels ponied up to keep Mike Trout, signing him to a record-setting 12-year, $426.5 million contract. Retaining Ohtani will likely require L.A. to go above and beyond that figure, though. Heyman reported in December the two-way sensation will indeed shoot for $500M plus, and he spoke to one agent who projected an 11-year, $550 million pact.

Given the franchise's general futility, it may not be a foregone conclusion Ohtani wants to stay with the Angels even if they make a fair market-rate offer. By now, you've seen this tweet or some variation of it multiple times.

After a while, it has to wear on you mentally when you're performing at a generational level and your team continues to lose.

If Los Angeles draws a firm line in the sand at the negotiating table or it believes Ohtani is leaning toward leaving as a free agent, then a trade can't be ruled out entirely.

With the regular season a little more than a month away, it doesn't look like the Angels will do anything before Opening Day.