Report: Angels won't trade Ohtani to Dodgers
Published
If Shohei Ohtani is traded by the Los Angeles Angels before this year's trade deadline, it won't be to their cross-town rival.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Angels owner Arte Moreno would not consider trading Ohtani to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Would they trade him to the Dodgers? No. I spoke to somebody with the Dodgers, they realize he’s not getting traded to the Dodgers. Even if you think he could sign long-term with the Dodgers, Arte Moreno is not going to do that," Heyman told Bleacher Report.
Heyman said he believes there is a 25 per cent chance overall that Ohtani is dealt on or before the Aug. 1 deadline. He added it's possible Ohtani could end up with the Dodgers, just not in a trade this year.
"Long-term, I do think the Dodgers do have an excellent chance as do a lot of teams on the West Coast – San Francisco, San Diego – they’ll all be in there pitching. It will certainly be an interesting free agency," Heyman said.
Moreno told Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci in March he would not trade Ohtani if the Angels were in playoff contention. Currently, they sit 47-48, nine games back in the American League West and five and a half games back in the AL wild card race having lost seven of their last 10 games. The Angels are also without star outfielder Mike Trout as he continues to recover from a hamate bone injury.
While the Angels struggle, Ohtani continues to marvel.
The two-way sensation has 35 home runs and 75 RBI with a slash line of .306/.391/.677 in 93 games at the plate. On the mound, Ohtani is 7-5 with a 3.50 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 105.1 innings pitched.
He is in the final year of arbitration this season and is expected to command one of the largest contracts in sports history this off-season.