Los Angeles Angels

Several teams have reportedly reached out to the Los Angeles Angels hoping to trade for two-way star Shohei Ohtani but have been told he's unavailable.

Andy Martino of SNY.tv reported the Angels have "no appetite" to move the 2021 AL MVP despite an impending change in ownership.

Owner Arte Moreno announced his intention to sell the franchise in August, though it's unclear how far along he's gotten in the process. No favorites among prospective buyers have been reported to this point.

The ownership situation is a double-edged sword when it comes to trade talks. Sometimes, rosters are stripped to their bare parts so a new owner can come in and completely revamp the organization in his or her vision. In others, a franchise has a beaming superstar who helps jack up the sale price.

It appears we're firmly in the latter situation with Ohtani. The 28-year-old has emerged as one of baseball's brightest faces, a once-in-a-century superstar who has ace-level stuff on the mound and elite power in the batter's box. He's a virtual certainty to finish in the top-two in AL MVP voting for the second straight season, though it's unlikely he'll be able to top Aaron Judge's 62-homer campaign.

While Ohtani and Mike Trout give the Angels baseball's best one-two punch, it has not translated into success on the field. The Angels have not posted a winning season since 2015 and have made the playoffs just once in the last decade.

With Ohtani set for unrestricted free agency this winter, there's some logic behind trading him now—particularly with the team seemingly nowhere close to competing for a division title.

That said, it appears Moreno and the front office are determined to make that the next regime's decision.

Whoever purchases the Los Angeles Angels will have managing control of the Major League Baseball team with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, and that is reportedly worth a record-breaking price.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the American League West team is expected to be sold for at least $3 billion, which would be a "record price for a baseball franchise."

It should be a quick sale, as "the sale is expected to be consummated within the next few months."

The Angels shored up some 2023 questions already this offseason when they gave a one-year deal to manager Phil Nevin and a one-year, $30 million deal to Ohtani. The Ohtani one was done to avoid arbitration.

While there isn't a long-term contract in place, Nightengale reported the team does not plan on trading him at all.

That is surely welcome news for potential purchasers of the franchise, as Ohtani is one of the biggest stars in all of sports. He was the 2021 American League MVP with a slash line of .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs and 100 RBI as a hitter and a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings as a pitcher.

He was arguably better this past season with a .273/.356/.519 slash line, 34 home runs and 95 RBI at the plate and a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings on the mound.

Forbes listed the Angels as the league's ninth-most valuable team in May at a value of $2.2 billion, so the price could end up being higher. The presence of the stars is surely a major reason why, although they still haven't gone to the playoffs since the 2014 campaign.

A report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggested as much, as he noted, "Word going around the game is that the Angels may set a record at $2.5B with their franchise sale, and Shohei Ohtani may pay off yet again, as there’s word a major Japanese company is among many suitors showing interest."

There is certainly an element of risk, as Ohtani could leave in free agency after the 2023 campaign.

But for now, the Angels are expected to sell for a record price with two of the sport's biggest names on the roster.

Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian is thinking long-term when it comes to Shohei Ohtani.

The Angels and Ohtani agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract for the 2023 campaign, meaning the two sides will avoid arbitration.

"I think it's step one," Minasian said of the deal, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. "Hopefully there are more steps down the road. I'm never going to talk about negotiations but I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'd love to have him here for a long time."

It was a record-setting contract in more ways than one.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted the $30 million deal surpassed Mookie Betts' $27 million as the highest for an arbitration-eligible player and Ohtani's $24.5 million raise represents the largest year-to-year increase in history.

Ohtani is arguably the best player in the majors and is certainly the most uniquely talented, so it's reasonable for him to be paid as such even if it is just a one-year contract.

The 28-year-old won the American League MVP last season by slashing .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs, 100 RBI and 26 stolen bases. Those numbers alone would have been impressive, but he was also the ace of the Angels pitching staff with a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings.

He was even better on the mound this year, finishing with a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. The power numbers at the plate took a small dip, but he still posted a .273/.356/.519 slash line, 34 home runs and 95 RBI.

In almost any other year, he would be a lock for back-to-back MVP awards, but New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge just missed the Triple Crown and hit an American League-record 62 home runs and seems well on his way to winning the award.

Unfortunately for Los Angeles, it hasn't managed to be competitive even with perhaps the top two players in the game in Ohtani and Mike Trout.

The Angels' last playoff appearance came in 2014, and they finished 73-89 this season. There were even some Ohtani trade rumors prior to the deadline this year, suggesting the struggling franchise could reload its farm system by trading such a gifted player during a losing season.

Yet if Minasian's comments are any indication, it's clear the team is interested in continuing to build around him.

Phil Nevin showed enough as the interim manager of the Los Angeles Angels to earn another opportunity with the team.

The Angels announced they agreed to a one-year deal with Nevin and promoted him to the full-time manager role for the 2023 campaign.

He took over in an interim position when Los Angeles fired Joe Maddon in June.

Expectations were high for the Angels when they brought Maddon aboard ahead of the 2020 season. After all, he was the manager who helped the Chicago Cubs break their 108-year World Series title drought in 2016 and also led the Tampa Bay Rays to the Fall Classic in 2008.

Despite the presence of some of the best players in the league in Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, Los Angeles never lived up to those expectations and went 130-148 during his tenure without a single playoff appearance.

He was also fired 12 games into a 14-game losing streak.

While there were no more long slides, things didn't go much better under Nevin. The Angels are 46-59 under his direction and sit in third place in the American League West at 73-88 overall.

The 51-year-old will look to guide the Angels to the postseason for the first time since the 2014 season. It will be his first full-time managerial position, but he has plenty of experience managing at the minor league level and was also a third base coach for the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Angels.

The No. 1 overall draft pick in 1995, the California native played in the majors for 12 seasons from 1995 to 2006 for the Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Anaheim Angels, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins. The corner infielder was an All-Star in 2001 for the Padres and hit 208 home runs in his career.

Nevin won't have much of a chance to prove himself with a one-year deal, but he said he wanted to get the Angels job permanently.

For at least one more season, Shohei Ohtani is under contract with the Los Angeles Angels.

The organization announced Saturday it agreed to a one-year, $30 million deal with Ohtani for 2023, the most ever for an arbitration-eligible player.

That figure is also notable because the reigning American League MVP is due to hit free agency in 2024.

Not that it was likely to fall below that number in the first place, but Ohtani's salary for next year effectively sets a baseline for what he'll earn annually from a multiyear contract.

Mookie Betts, for example, got $27 million from the Boston Red Sox in 2020 when they avoided arbitration, and that preceded his signing a 12-year, $365 million extension with the Los Angeles Dodgers following a trade.

At $30 million, Ohtani will be tied with the San Diego Padres' Manny Machado for the 13th-highest average salary in MLB.

Of course, it will presumably take much more than that when he's a free agent. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported in June some within the Angels organization believe he'll eclipse Max Scherzer ($43.3 million annually) to become baseball's highest-paid player.

The thing with Ohtani is he could command $30-40 million as a standalone hitter or pitcher. At the plate, he's batting .276 with 34 home runs and a 149 OPS+, per Baseball Reference. On the mound, he's 15-8 with a 2.35 ERA, a 2.44 FIP and 213 strikeouts over 161 innings.

When you combine all of his skills, anything below $50 million will feel like a bargain to some degree.

Ohtani will be 29 when the 2024 season opens, and he was unable to pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Those two details will undoubtedly factor into whatever the Angels or another team is willing to offer.

From Ohtani's perspective, matching the 12-year term for Mike Trout's record-setting extension will be tough because you typically don't want to be paying a pitcher that much money into his 40s.

But Gerrit Cole got nine years and $324 million from the New York Yankees ahead of the 2020 season, and he was the same age Ohtani will be. The Japanese star's hitting ability also allows for him to continue contributing if an injury precludes him from pitching.

Ohtani's representatives shouldn't have much difficulty getting an offer of at least eight or nine years. Assuming that's the case, he could join Trout as the second player in MLB history to get $400 million-plus.

Saturday's news doesn't change the situation too much.

The Los Angeles Angels announced Saturday that they agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract with two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani for the 2023 season, thus avoiding arbitration.

Ohtani is still scheduled to become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2023 campaign unless he and the Angels can reach a long-term deal before then.

The 28-year-old Ohtani had a historic season in 2021 with a .257/.372/.592 slash line, 46 homers, 100 RBI and 26 stolen bases as an offensive player. He also went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 156 strikeouts over 130.1 innings in 23 starts on the mound en route to being named American League MVP.

Per FanGraphs wins above replacement, Ohtani's 8.1 mark (5.1 as a position player; 3.0 as a pitcher) in 2021 was the best in Major League Baseball.

Corbin Burnes of the Milwaukee Brewers (7.5) and Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies (7.3) were the only other players with a WAR over 7.0.

Per The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh, Ohtani accounted for 40 percent of the entire wins above replacement total for the Angels last season.

Some of that was because of bad luck with injuries, particularly to Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon. That duo only combined to play 94 games.

Ohtani is one of the most unique athletes in all of professional sports. MLB took notice of his universal appeal by essentially making him the centerpiece of the 2021 All-Star Game. He participated in the Home Run Derby, started the Midsummer Classic as a pitcher and hit leadoff for the AL.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred presented Ohtani with the Historic Achievement Award in October. He became the first person to receive the award, which was originally created in 1998, since Derek Jeter following his retirement after the 2014 season.

Prior to the 2021 campaign, Ohtani had already proved his value as a hitter.

The Japanese star won American League Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he posted a .925 OPS, 22 homers and 61 RBI as a hitter. He also had a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 51.2 innings on the mound, but he had to undergo Tommy John surgery after the season.

The elbow surgery prevented Ohtani from pitching in 2019. He still had a solid offensive year with a .286/.343/.505 slash line and 18 homers in 106 games.

Ohtani isn't hitting at quite the same level as he did last year, but it's only because he set the bar so high. He's still got a .276/.359/.529 slash line with 34 homers, 94 RBI and 11 stolen bases.

What little value Ohtani has lost as a hitter in 2022, he's more than made up for with his performance on the mound. He has a 2.35 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 213 strikeouts in 161 innings, putting him firmly in the Cy Young race.

Even though the Angels remain a mess overall, Ohtani's presence gives them a chance to compete for a playoff spot next season, and perhaps buys them some time to work on a longer-term deal as well.

Many believe that Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani isn't interested in joining the New York Yankees as a free agent, but that apparently isn't the case.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Ohtani doesn't have any trepidations about joining New York as had been previously perceived.

"People close to Ohtani maintain it’s wrong that he is anti-New York," Heyman wrote. "They contend he has never expressed those sentiments, and furthermore that he’d be open-minded if he becomes a free agent. They add that he’s fully committed to the Angels for now, as his incredible performance shows."

Heyman noted the Yankees "love" Ohtani and attempted to acquire him from the Angels at this year's trade deadline. The two-way phenom is eligible for one more year of arbitration in 2023 and would become an unrestricted free agent the following year if he doesn't reach a long-term deal with Los Angeles.

The Yankees were not included in the final list of Ohtani's preferred teams during the sweepstakes for his services prior to the 2018 season. In addition to the Angels, the other finalists were the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers.

According to Heyman, "two baseball executives suggested they could see the Giants landing Ohtani should he leave the Angels."

Ohtani has not indicated whether he actually intends to leave Los Angeles, but that hasn't diminished other teams' interest in him. The 2021 AL MVP is in the midst of another incredible season and looks to be entering his prime.

The Angels have not had success on the field during Ohtani's tenure. This will be the eighth consecutive season that the team has failed to make the playoffs, and it hasn't finished with a record above .500 since 2015.

It all makes for a highly anticipated free-agency class of 2023. As Heyman noted, "monetary offers could be wildly different" at the end of next season, which could play a major factor in Ohtani's decision.

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani will be the focus of an upcoming interview special, Searching for Ohtani.

Fox Sports' Ben Verlander traveled to Japan to interview fans and former teammates and coaches of Ohtani.

"I don’t speak their language, they don’t speak mine," he said to USA Today's Bob Nightengale. "But what we understood was the language of Shohei Ohtani. It’s the power of Shohei, and what he’s done, with all of their hopes and dreams coming true. I’m privileged to talk about what he means to people all over the globe. It’s an honor to do this and celebrate one of the best players we’ve ever seen."

Plenty of Japanese stars have found success in MLB, but none has done what Ohtani is doing. His two-way ability is almost unparalleled across modern baseball history.

After winning the American League MVP in 2021, the 28-year-old continues performing at an elite level as both a hitter and a pitcher. He's slugging .530 with 34 home runs and boasts a 2.52 FIP with 203 strikeouts across 153 innings.

Searching for Ohtani will be another way to celebrate his achievements to date and understand the impact he has in his home country. The special will air Oct. 18 on FS1.

For the first time in his career, Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani struck out 200 batters in a season.

Ohtani accomplished the feat Friday against the Minnesota Twins, fanning Gary Sánchez on a curveball in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The 28-year-old was the first Angels pitcher to reach 200 strikeouts since Jered Weaver in 2010. Weaver, a three-time All-Star, struck out 233 batters, the 10th-highest total in franchise history and most since Nolan Ryan fanned 260 in 1978. Ryan holds the Angels record, which is also the modern MLB mark, with 383 in 1973.

Ohtani entered Friday's game with a 13-8 record, 2.43 ERA and 1.04 WHIP and 196 strikeouts in 148 innings across 25 starts. The dual threat also entered slashing .271/.359/.536 with 34 home runs, 89 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 145 games.

Ohtani has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining before he will become an unrestricted free agent.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout's ranking of the best outfielders in Major League Baseball includes three MVP winners and possibly a fourth, depending on how things play out this season.

In an interview with Chris Henderson of WKRN, Trout included himself, Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts and Bryce Harper on his outfielder Mount Rushmore.

Henderson asked Trout for his top-four outfielders of all-time, so it's possible he misheard that and offered his list of the best current players.

Given how well the four superstars Trout listed have played over the course of their careers, perhaps he does believe they are the four best outfielders in MLB history. You could do a lot worse than building a quartet of Trout, Judge, Betts and Harper.

Trout is likely to go down as the best player of this generation. Since his first full season in 2012, Trout's 80.5 FanGraphs' wins above replacement is more than 27 wins better than the No. 2 player (Paul Goldschmidt, 53.3).

Betts, Harper and Judge have all had fantastic careers and some of the best individual seasons of any player from this generation. Betts' AL MVP season in 2018 produced 10.6 fWAR, better than any single-season total from Trout.

Harper became the youngest player to be a unanimous MVP when he won the award at the age of 22 in 2015.

Judge doesn't yet have an MVP on his mantle, but it will likely be coming when the awards are announced in November. The New York Yankees slugger is having a historic season with 60 homers. He also leads the AL in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.422), slugging percentage (.703) and RBI (128).