With the Los Angeles Angels almost statistically eliminated from the 2023 postseason, the focus has been turned solely on the impending free agency of generational two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Despite his record-setting play, Ohtani has never made the playoffs in his six seasons with the Angels.
Countless MLB teams will be chomping at the bit when Ohtani becomes a free-agent at the end of this season — and the 2021 AL MVP could be on the hunt for some greener pastures.
On Shohei Ohtani, the urgency that surrounds this year’s Angels, the uncertainty thereafter, and Arte Moreno’s place in all of it … https://t.co/L6YTDtWiqk
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 22, 2023
That being said, Ohtani’s superstar teammate Mike Trout hopes his partner in crime stays put.
“I hope he comes back,” Trout said in a recent interview with ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
“The whole Shohei situation — I don’t think anybody knows what he’s feeling or what he’s thinking,” Trout added. “It’s ultimately gonna come down to what he thinks and what he feels, and he’s gonna do what’s right for him and what he feels is right.
“I see him on a daily basis, obviously. He’s coming in every day. He looks like he’s enjoying it and feels comfortable. But I don’t know. It’s gonna be a tough go this winter. You never know what’s gonna happen. There’s gonna be a lot of teams out there wanting him. Who wouldn’t?”
Trout returned to the Angels’ lineup off the IL on Tuesday night, but his team fell in a 4-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.
