Shohei Ohtani Trade Rumors: Angels Star Unlikely to Move at 2023 MLB Deadline

If Shohei Ohtani is going to leave the Angels, the organization isn't going to be the one that gives him up, according to a report by Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

"If they were going to trade him, they would have done it last year," a source told Heyman.

Ohtani, 28, is set to become a free agent following the 2023 season and will be the top priority for most organizations around the league. The 2021 AL MVP is not expected to sign an extension with Los Angeles before hitting the market.

The team also doesn't plan to trade Ohtani ahead of the deadline.

"I've always been open to it," Ohtani's agent Nez Balelo said about negotiating an extension with the Angels. "But there's several layers to this one, and Shohei's earned the right to play through the year, explore free agency, and we'll see where it shakes out."

Angels' owner Arte Moreno still considers his team as one of the front runners for Ohtani's signature next winter despite not managing to field a contending team. Los Angeles has failed to make the postseason every year since Ohtani joined in 2018 and that's with another one of the league's best players, Mike Trout, also being on the roster.

Although Moreno remains optimistic, some outsiders see the Angels as a long shot to keep their superstar, estimating that the organization has a "five percent chance" to retain him long term.

Some of the other teams in play for Ohtani include the Dodgers, Mets, Giants, Padres and Yankees. Whichever team manages to win the sweepstakes, they'll have to shell out plenty of money as Ohtani's next contract is expected to be worth somewhere close to $500 million.

Since joining the league from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, Ohtani has become one of the most unique talents that MLB has ever seen, dominating both on the mound and at the plate.

He hit .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs and 95 RBIs in 2022 while posting a 15-9 record with a 2.33 ERA and 1.01 WHIP as a pitcher. He struck out 219 batters in 166 innings and finished fourth in the AL Cy Young voting.

If Ohtani manages to stay healthy, he only pitched 12 games from 2018 to 2020 due to injuries, next winter may produce the biggest free agency frenzy in league history.