In a week where two of MLB’s best players face off, if not the best two, it’s not just the duel between Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge that commands attention.
Indeed, the future of the Japanese resurfaces once again. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, a trade involving Ohtani will be on the table if a condition is met.
There’s one thing we have to look at when it comes to Shohei Ohtani’s future, and that’s the Los Angeles Angels’ record, because as long as the Angels are in contention, as long as they have the hopes of a playoff berth, Ohtani will not be traded. But if the Angels fall out of the running, he could be traded, and he’ll be gone for good.
After having proclaimed loud and clear that the Nippon was in Anaheim to stay there, now he could be compromised if the Angels are not in the portrait of the playoffs. The latter would be crazy not to monetize his value, knowing that an exclusion from the fall dance will ensure that he will not be back when he becomes free as air at the end of the current campaign.
All the attention would then be on the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the two teams from New York.
Once again this season, despite Ohtani’s success, the Angels are failing to perform at a high level, currently posting a record of nine wins against nine losses. That puts them second in the American League West Division, three games behind the Texas Rangers.
Although it is still very early, the Angels are currently a game and a half away from a possible participation in the playoffs as the best second.
The fluctuation of their record will therefore be one to watch throughout the season since the only way the Angels will retain the services of Ohtani is if they perform at a better level than what they have demonstrated since the start of the campaign. 2023.
