SoCalDucksFan

He supposedly met with that team up the road today, and they have plenty of cash to spend, since Ohtani is only getting paid $2M for each of the next 10 years.

I think the only chance would have been a trip to the World Series. Sneaking into the playoffs, and losing in the 1st round, even though like the Dodgers, and he still would have left.

The Dodgers aren't a "rival" of the Angels. That implies they're on somewhat the same level.

A gentleman's agreement? As opposed to an actual agreement, which is how things actually work. Arte is not very bright, but he's bright enough to know that a "gentleman's agreement" is worthless, and if he gambled the fate of the franchise on that, he's even dumber than I thought he was. I'm just sorry that despite how sad this team is going to be, it's value will likely go up, just because it's still a MLB franchise, and so at some time in the future, Arte is going to make a bundle of money selling it. Money he doesn't deserve given how he's run the Angels into the ground.

I'd say there's at least an 80% chance that the Angels sign Bellinger. They're looking for a distraction from the Shohei disaster, and need a well known player. Bellinger fits the bill entirely, plus he used to be a Dodger, so the narcissist a-hole owner will feel some sort of vindication at getting a form of retribution, in his own deluded mind, for getting someone who was a player beloved by Dodger fans.

He blew out his arm, won't be able to pitch at all for At Least next season, and he ended up getting $200K more than was being projected during the season.

I read that the Angels were making $40 Million per season in advertising revenue, merely because he was on the roster. That doesn't even account for ticket sales and concessions, which are going to be in the toilet now. No way that Arte is going to spend all that cap money, knowing that incoming revenue is going to take a severe hit.

This is true. If they had been a competitive, playoff team, they might have been willing to pay that. And perhaps Shohei would have had a tougher decision. But the bottom line is that even if the Angels had been willing to match the $700M, Shohei was going to choose the Dodgers 99 times out of 100. They never stood a chance.

He's going to be the only reason the Angels are able to sell season tickets. They're going to market the s&*t out of him. If he doesn't stay healthy, expect a fire sale on tickets, which are going to be on fire sale even if he's healthy.

Arte is going to be thankful for whoever buys a ticket. He'll probably triple the price of tickets for games against the Dodgers.

Did they close?

Arte is more a combination of Homer Simpson & Montgomery Burns. He's Stupid, Evil and Wealthy.

Does not look like it will be over today. Already 3:30 PM on the east coast, and big news stories don't usually break late on a Friday, when people are starting their weekend.

I didn't say I would. I just said that there is a team out there that's likely willing to do so, meaning there's no reason for him to sign with a club that offers a contract filled with restrictions, and less guaranteed money.

And Ohtani is going to sign under those terms, with a team that has been a failure his whole career, when undoubtedly another team, will offer him far more guaranteed money, and more favorable terms for him. If he thinks that signing something that is "helpful" and "favorable" for the team, is going to help him win a title, when said team is owned by Arte, he's not very bright.

I still can't believe that there are people who truly think the Angels have any shot at signing him. The reason there would be a total freak out if he did, is that Ohtani is the one who said he wants to play for a team that has a chance to win a Championship. The 1st question at the press conference to him would be, "If you want to win a Championship, why sign with Anaheim?" They've shown nothing close to contending for a title. Can't even make the playoffs as a wild card. And why do Anaheim fans even want him to sign here? The team has been awful the entire time he's been in Anaheim. Sure, they'll possibly be even worse without him, but it's not like he's been some sort of savior for the club. Having 2 of this generation's greatest ball players, has barely made the Angels into a team capable of a .500 record. Perhaps this belief that he might sign here, and the desire to have him do so, comes down to the fact of how embarrassing it will be to realize that the Angels let someone of his caliber, get away, and have NOTHING to show for it. Heck, they could have traded him a year ago, or even a couple of months ago, and at least got something in return. But the owner is a dip&*it, and really only cares about the billions he's going to make when he eventually sells the team, whether Ohtani is on the roster or not.

Nothing is going to be announced on a Friday of Thanksgiving Weekend.

Now do Chesebro.

Ohtani is thinking, should I go to a team that chokes during the regular season, or one that chokes in the playoffs?

Or the Mets fans this year. Probably worse for Dodgers fans, because the Padres & Mets fans are used to watching their team lose.

It's obvious the Dodgers are in need of pitching, so it's funny that they're going to try and spend all their money on a player who won't be able to pitch for At Least the next season, and may not be as effective a pitcher ever again. The Angels are in a similar position, and they're going after the same guy, even though he hasn't helped them get close to the playoffs in all the years he's played here. Both clubs could probably spend their money on a couple of decent pitchers, who won't come with a giant question mark as to whether they can pitch for the next few years. Ohtani's injury changed everything. He's no longer the sure thing he appeared to be in August.

Funny, when I mocked the Angels, and predicted their demise, it didn't do much for them.

27 more wins than the Angels, and a giant payroll, gets you 3 more games and an extra 10 days. If this is where Ohtani was thinking of going, perhaps he's re-evaluating right now. Dodgers are proving what happens when you rely on hitting, and your hitters go cold, and your success depends on a pitching staff that's god awful. Sounds a little bit like a team 30 miles south of Chavez Ravine. It's still possible for them to turn things around, but when you lose both Games 1 & 2 at home, in a best of 5 series, you're up against astronomical odds.

Arte is a Piece O' Garbage, and he openly supports other Pieces Of Garbage. He also likes to do shady stuff, and openly supports others who do shady and illegal stuff. He gets away with it, because he has $$$$$$$$$, and he gets away with destroying this franchise because he owns it due to his $$$$$$$$$. I won't attend another game in person while this douchebag owns the team. Regardless of how well they are playing, but since they've been playing like garbage for the better part of a decade, I don't need to worry about missing anything. I'm sure he's not sweating my opinion of him, but I'll still feel the way I do.

Dodgers, 4 years, $175 Million, with Dodgers option for 5th year @ $50 Million.