Shohei Ohtani Won't Be Traded by Angels amid Rumors, Owner Arte Moreno Says

The Los Angeles Angels have no intention of trading two-way superstar and impending free agent Shohei Ohtani, per team owner Arte Moreno.

"I just don't know how you replace a guy like that," Moreno told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. "We want to win, and it's nice to have him in the lineup. For me, it's about the fans."

Through 69 games, Ohtani has amassed an MLB-high 22 home runs, 54 RBI, a .301 batting average and a 1.002 OPS. On the mound, he's gone 6-2 with a 3.29 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 82 innings.

The Angels are in a tough spot.

On one hand, it's very possible Ohtani leaves the team in free agency. He'll naturally have plenty of interest on the free agent market, and one MLB official told Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times that he could get $600 million on his next deal.

The Angels risking losing the game's greatest player for nothing in return, although Moreno told Heyman in February that he wants to sign Ohtani long-term. Heyman reported that "rivals see that as a long shot."

On the other hand, the Angels have missed the playoffs each of the last eight years, with seven of them resulting in losing seasons. This year finally appears to tell a different story with the Angels starting 39-32 and going 9-2 in their last 11 games.

That has put the Angels just one game behind the Houston Astros and New York Yankees for an American League wild-card spot.

Trading Ohtani would all but signal the end of a promising season that could finally end up with the Angels in the postseason. The prospect of throwing away short-term success appears too hard to ignore for Moreno.

Regardless of what happens, Ohtani is authoring an unbelievable season that defies logic. It's not impossible to see him lead MLB in both home runs and strikeouts thrown this year, something that has obviously never been done. Ohtani is currently third on the K's list behind the Atlanta Braves' Spencer Strider (127).