Why didn't Ohtani get traded

[baseballplayer]

I'll be upfront and honest.... I'm not a Angels fan but I've always loved Trout so I keep up with Angels baseball.  I'm all over the map.  When I was younger my uncle was on the Astros staff for years and he did everything from throwing batting practice to charting pitches (I got to run the JUGGS GUN) to position outfielders.  I was in the clubhouse every game blah blah.  He retired and I moved to the Dallas area for work and started following the Rangers.  Side note: I've always thought Ryan should have went into the HoF add an Angel first, Astro second and Rangers third.  Ridiculous

When I was a kid I read a book called the Bronx Zoo written by Sparky Lyle so I followed the Yankees a little as well...(it's a great read if you're ever looking fora good book).  I'm just a huge baseball fan so please don't think I'm coming here trying to start anything.  
 

From afar, I just don't understand why the Angels held onto Ohtani?  I realize he's the best player in baseball but him and Trout (who I think is the best player in the game) have been together for awhile and it's not clicking for various reasons.  I thought the Angels could have reloaded their farm system and reset everything and still have Trout along with some l players already in the system.  I don't get it... Especially with Trout hurt and not playing.   

Anyway, thanks for the time of an outsider.  

[case]

Because the front office is delusional. That's it.

[Erstad Grit]

Arte runs the decisions. 

My guess is he'll now sell in the offseason with the franchise in an even worse state. 

[NrM]

11 minutes ago, Erstad Grit said:

Arte runs the decisions. 

My guess is he'll now sell in the offseason with the franchise in an even worse state. 

Honestly worth it if Arte decides to sell

[Stradling]

Fletcher has laid this out.  The Angels felt that trading him meant they couldn’t resign him. 

[Amazing Larry]

Ohtani should have been traded last year when they would have received a decent return on his value. Instead the Angels went full retard and dealt high level prospects for late rentals this season. It’s actually quite impressive to watch in real time. Apparently you can make a ton of money in highway advertising and still run a baseball franchise into the ground. Bravo. 

[SoCalDucksFan]

17 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Fletcher has laid this out.  The Angels felt that trading him meant they couldn’t resign him. 

I got news for him.

Irwin M. Fletcher obviously has more brains than David, Arte and Minasian combined.

[Stradling]

Just now, SoCalDucksFan said:

I got news for him.

Irwin M. Fletcher obviously has more brains than David, Arte and the Minasian combined.

Ok. This is an incredibly cool story.  Bro. 

[notherhalo]

I often wonder what franchises are dumber

[SoCalDucksFan]

There comes a time when you see the writing on the wall.  It starts at the top.  The Owner is a POS and an IDIOT.  Everything flows from there, like excrement rolling down a hill.

Ohtani is a once in a generation player, who is going to get astronomical offers from multiple teams.  He tells you that his priority is winning, and you check your scoreboard and notice that he has not played in a single Playoff game since he entered the league with your club.  And in this do or die season, you take being 4 games out of the last of 3 Wild Card spots, as a positive development, you would have to be a Moron to think you have any legitimate shot at re-signing him.

Do they think that he's going to fall for the same BS that apparently Mike T. did?  What's their pitch gonna be?  Give us 1 more chance, please???  In fact, give us 10 more chances, because you're probably going to get offers for 10 year contracts, and our record over the next 10 years, can't possibly be worse than our record over the last 10.

PLEASE!!!!  We're so close.  This season (if we're lucky,) we're only going to finish 6 games back of the last Wild Card.  Eventually, the league is going to have 5 Wild Card teams, and Then.....Look Out!!  Here come the Angels, making the Playoffs with an 82-80 record!

[Tyler]

You don’t trade the best player in the game. 

[Amazing Larry]

4 minutes ago, Tyler said:

You don’t trade the best player in the game. 

I can’t recall how many times I’ve read this exact type of post on AW in the past 10 years yet here we are…

Edited August 5, 2023 by Lhalo

[Stradling]

3 minutes ago, Lhalo said:

I can’t recall how many times I’ve read this exact type of post on AW in the past 10 years yet here we are…

Correct. We are here without trading generational talent. 

[Tyler]

9 minutes ago, Lhalo said:

I can’t recall how many times I’ve read this exact type of post on AW in the past 10 years yet here we are…

Find a new hobby?

[bloodbrother]

I mean, ideally, would have been nice if Ohtani and the org could have figured things out this past offseason. Either extended him then or got a firm answer from him/his reps that he planned on testing FA. Would have given them the option of making the decision to move him in a trade back then, where they would have more suitors and get more in return. It's fun to pretend

[notherhalo]

[SoCalDucksFan]

27 minutes ago, Tyler said:

You don’t trade the best player in the game. 

Exactly!  You let him leave during the off-season, getting absolutely nothing in return.

The only chance the Angels had of retaining Ohtani, was if Arte had sold the club to someone who actually cared enough to fix the broken organization.  Honestly, I now truly think that he wanted to decimate the Angels so badly, and then cash out.

I can say this much, if Disney were still running the show, Ohtani would not be wondering what it feels like to play in October.  Their ownership of the Angels might have been mostly a publicity stunt and side investment, but you can be sure that they would not have stood for year after year after year after year after year after.....of embarrassment, with 2 of this century's greatest baseball players on the roster.

[SoCalDucksFan]

20 minutes ago, bloodbrother said:

I mean, ideally, would have been nice if Ohtani and the org could have figured things out this past offseason. Either extended him then or got a firm answer from him/his reps that he planned on testing FA. Would have given them the option of making the decision to move him in a trade back then, where they would have more suitors and get more in return. It's fun to pretend

He gave them a firm answer, when he said that he wanted to be with a winning team.  Do they not keep records of their place in the standings every single year he's been with the team?  When Eddie Van Halen tells you he wants to play in Stadiums to 80,000 screaming fans, and you're booking him for Wednesday nights at the local Holiday Inn Express, why would you think he's going to sign a contract to have you manage and promote him for the next 10 years?

[Duren, Duren]

Ohtani has six years experience with the organization. Why would he want to make it sixteen? 

Look how Trout's decade has played out team wise. Constant changes on the field, front office, in the dugout. But a decade of Groundhog Day. 

Hardly an encouraging precedent for Ohtani, thinking about ten more years of his own. And he sees first hand how age neutralized Pujols and is chipping away at Trout. 

Realistically, even with a ten year contract he probably will only be in his prime for about five years. And not even factoring possible lost time with injuries. Again, look at Trout and many other stars when they get into their thirties. 

As well, his two way play adds extra physical and mental stress. And more risk of injury. Plus there's no guarantee that he will remain elite both as a hitter and pitcher over the long term. 

So you'd think he'd be looking at teams that will realistically be elite within that five year or so time frame. Either as they are now and sustaining it or on the cusp of becoming an emerging playoff likely young team. A team where he'll make a difference but won't be the only one. And that will allow him the best chance to reach his personal goals.

The Angels just aren't in either category. 

We saw another side of Ohtani in the WBC. A dominant leader, key in winning a title. An emotional high one would think that he'd prioritize experiencing again within the major league system. 

Objectively, he'll be paid for ten years or so if it's a max term contract. But his skill set will be front loaded into the first half of that deal. 

Unless he has deep loyalty and is ultra optimistic I can't see the Angels being a favorite. 

 

 

[ScottT]

2 hours ago, Stradling said:

Fletcher has laid this out.  The Angels felt that trading him meant they couldn’t resign him. 

And they weren't getting that much in return at this point 

[baseballplayer]

Wow.  Thanks for the responses.  It doesn't seem to make much sense on any level.  I've never been a fan of the gigantic contract simply because it puts financial strain on the team when trying to build out the team... AND they already have Trout with a big deal.  

I sure hope it wasn't the owner trying to decimate the team before he sells as some of here have said... That would be just insane.  

[AngelsMetsWS]

7 hours ago, notherhalo said:

I often wonder what franchises are dumber

Mets!

[PattyD22]

Just now, AngelsMetsWS said:

Mets!

Some would say the Padres are up there also.

[DMVol]

5 hours ago, ScottT said:

And they weren't getting that much in return at this point 

We have no idea what offers might have been made….the plug was pulled early enough that discussions never got beyond preliminary….

[Angels 1961]

The halos got hot after all-star game and made the decision to make a run at the playoffs. After 7 losing seasons to me it was the right move. It might not work out but I'm glad they did not throw in the raise the white flag. Season is not over. If Ohtani signs with another team this off season Angel's will move on at that time. I still believe halos can get hot and make a run at playoffs.