Just when you thought the free agency of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani couldn’t get any stranger, now there have been multiple reports saying that the incumbent Los Angeles Angels are a real threat to retain him. For most of the offseason, the Angels have been thought of as an afterthought, but it seems that staying power may be at play here with Ohtani.
First ESPN insider Buster Olney tweeted out on Monday that one player’s agent believed that Ohtani would make his way back to the Angels this winter due to “routine” and the “autonomy” the Angels offer him.
And then insider Mark Feinsand of MLB.com said that he believes the Angels are very much in the running for the two-way superstar.
“I think the Angels are very much in this. And in the last 24 hours, I’ve had several people they tell me they think he will ultimately go back to the Angels.”
Per Mark Feinsand via MLB Network
Why Would Shohei Ohtani Go Back to the Angels?
It’s simple really: comfort. He is presumably very comfortable playing in the Angels organization and they have essentially given him anything that he wants over the years.
While he values winning, he also values autonomy and is a very private person. So, the question remains: which does he value more?
If he values autonomy more than winning, he will surely wind up back with the Halos next season. But if all other reporting is to be correct and Ohtani wants to win, he should leave them this offseason.
The Angels have shown him no reason to think that they can field a competitive team, and re-signing with them would be a massive risk on his part. But Ohtani has shocked the baseball world before, and it looks like he could do it again.
He is unlike any free agent that we have ever seen, and that alone is cause for some confusion. Ohtani is the only one who knows what he wants from this process and that is by design.
Hopefully, these reports are just leverage being thrown out by the Ohtani camp to maximize the contract that he may get from a team like the Dodgers. We should get much more clarity on the situation over the next few days with the winter meetings taking place.
Photo Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
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