Los Angeles Angels Will Not Trade Two-Way Superstar Shohei Ohtani: Report

Shohei Ohtani will not be traded. According to a report by Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, the Los Angeles Angels had put out feelers in recent days for potential offers for the two-way superstar. However, the team will hold on to Ohtani and make a bid for its first postseason appearance since 2014.

Ohtani is set to be a free agent after the season and could become the first player in MLB history to command a contract worth more than $500 million.

Not long after the Sports Illustrated report surfaced, the Angels shipped two of their top three prospects to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-handed pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López. The Angels gave up switch-hitting catcher Edgar Quero, their No. 2 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and lefty pitcher Ky Bush, their No. 3 prospect.

The Angels will also be bolstered by the return of Mike Trout, who is expected to be back in the lineup in mid-August after suffering a broken hand.

After their 7-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday, the Angels sat in third place in the AL West and trailed the first-place Texas Rangers by seven games. The Angels, however, are only four games out of a playoff wild-card berth, trailing the New York Yankees (2.5 games) and Boston Red Sox (1.5) for the final American League postseason slot (which is currently held by the Toronto Blue Jays).

Through Wednesday, Ohtani led the majors in home runs, triples, walks, slugging percentage, OPS and total bases. The 2021 American League MVP has also made 19 starts on the mound, posting a 3.71 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 111.2 innings.