MLB Rumors: Shohei Ohtani Preferred Staying with Angels for Playoff Push over Trade

Shohei Ohtani is all-in with the Los Angeles Angels for the rest of the 2023 season.

Per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, the three-time All-Star's preference is to stay with the Angels for the stretch run this season rather than getting traded before the Aug. 1 deadline.

Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci reported Wednesday the Angels took Ohtani off the trade market and planned to make a push for the playoffs with their two-way superstar.

Gonzalez noted the Angels opted to keep Ohtani, in part, because they were "underwhelmed" by the offers they were receiving from opposing teams. He also wrote Angels owner Arte Moreno "would have no shot" to sign the 29-year-old as a free agent if he traded him to another club during the season.

Shortly after it was reported Los Angeles was keeping Ohtani, general manager Perry Minasian acquired Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López from the Chicago White Sox for prospects Edgar Quero and Ky Bush.

According to Verducci, the front office was going to be focused on bringing in a starting pitcher and a reliever before the deadline. Giolito and López solve those problems, though it's unclear if the Angels are done making moves with five days remaining before the trade deadline.

This is the Angels going all-in for a shot to make the playoffs in 2023. Ohtani, Giolito and López are all set to become free agents after this season.

One rival executive told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal the deal feels "very 'NBA'ish" by doing "everything to keep the star in L.A."

It's not impossible to envision a scenario in which Moreno presents Ohtani with an offer too good to turn down in free agency, but the trade with the White Sox leaves the Angels in a precarious position.

Quero and Bush were the second- and third-ranked prospects in Los Angeles' farm system, per MLB.com, and this wasn't a good system to begin with.

The Angels have played better of late with seven wins in 10 games since the All-Star break. Their 52-49 record is four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final wild-card spot in the American League.

Mike Trout is making progress in his recovery from surgery to repair a broken hamate bone, but Angels manager Phil Nevin said this week there is no timetable for his return to the lineup.

Ohtani has been doing his best to keep Los Angeles afloat in the playoff race. He is hitting .299/.398/.668 with an MLB-best 36 homers at the plate and a 3.71 ERA with 148 strikeouts in 111.2 innings on the mound.