The Los Angeles Angels took a big risk retaining the services of Shohei Ohtani at the trade deadline and their failed bet leaves them with a very nebulous future.
As we know, Ohtani injured his arm and he won’t start this season. It is not yet certain that he will be operated on again and his career as a pitcher is compromised. His value on the free agent market will be down even if he remains an exceptional player.
Considering that the team fell apart in the weeks following the trade deadline and that the end of the season could be painful for Angels fans, one of its star players, Mike Trout, raises serious questions about the vision of the club’s leaders.
These questions, Trout must be asking themselves for quite a while now, because the club’s management has never been able to capitalize on the presence of two players of their caliber in the formation.
Recall that since Trout is a member of the Angels, the team has participated in the playoffs on only one occasion. It was in 2014, against the Kansas City Royals. The Angels had been swept away.
It is true that Trout has been injured more often than not in recent years and that he cannot perform to his full potential. Number 27 hasn’t played more than 140 games per season since 2016.
Before this series of bad luck, Trout was considered one of the best players in the Majors and at 32 years old, it is normal that he questions his presence in the team. His statistics and his collection of individual honors militate in his favor.
The main interested party does not hide his disappointment to see the window of the Angels closing year after year and with the almost certain departure of his teammate Ohtani, he must not see the future very promising.
Like many baseball observers, Trout said he was surprised to see his bosses put six players on waivers and to see five of them change addresses.
Very strange decisions from an organization whose credibility has been in doubt for several decades now. Not surprising then to consider the departure of Shohei Ohtani via the autonomy market and a good discussion between Mike Trout and the senior management of the club to ensure that some semblance of vision is considered regarding the management of baseball operations .
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Trout request a trade so that he, too, could hope to win in another uniform.
