The Los Angeles Angels continue their push toward the postseason with a little more than a month left to go. Things haven’t quite gone the way that they had hoped, but even with Mike Trout out and Shohei Ohtani not pitching anymore, they remain committed to giving it their all until they are officially eliminated.
This has been a frustrating season for the Halos, as it seemed they were in a good spot to get back to the postseason earlier in the season. But a few poor weeks of baseball saw them fall in the standings, and they are still trying to recover.
It’s been especially difficult this season because of the impending free agency of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Many in the industry believe that he will leave the organization this winter after they haven’t been able to do any sort of consistent winning on the field — especially after what just happened with the injury.
His teammate, Mike Trout, recently opened up about the free agency of Ohtani and how it has affected things. This was before Ohtani tore his UCL.
“There’s a lot of questions,” Trout said. “The whole Shohei situation — I don’t think anybody knows what he’s feeling or what he’s thinking. 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?”
Per ESPN.com
Ohtani is going to have a massive line of suitors this winter, even with the injury. However, it remains to be seen what his contract ultimately ends up being. If the injury doesn’t affect his value too much, then his contract could still be at least $500 million.
Now, he could re-sign with the Angels, but things seem bleak at this time. However, you can’t ever count anything out.
Trout would love for Ohtani to return, but even he knows that the reality of Ohtani leaving town could happen this offseason.
“But you can’t predict what’s gonna happen in the future. You just gotta look at what’s in front of you.”
Per ESPN.com
For now, the Angels just need to focus on what they can control. They can control the outcomes of games as they try to somehow get back into contention.
