Shohei Ohtani will finally play significant, meaningful games wearing an Angels uniform. Contests of actual consequence, with results that matter. This, folks, is what we’ve been waiting for.
I mean, kind of.
His Angels are not playing for a spot in the World Series, and they’re obviously not playing in October yet. They’re not even playing stretch-run games in September, battling against a rival for a spot in the postseason. These are dog-days games in late July, and what’s on the line? Fighting to stay within shouting distance of hoping a miracle could happen.
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Still, this next week or so of games — leading up to the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline on Aug. 1 — could determine whether Ohtani finishes the 2023 season in an Angels uniform, or whether he’s traded in a summer blockbuster. And that’s kind of a big deal.
The Angels, who have never come close to an actual playoff spot in Ohtani’s six years with the club, wake up Tuesday 4 1/2 games out of the AL’s third and final wild-card spot, with the Red Sox and Yankees ahead of them in the outside-looking-in club. They’re 7 1/2 out of first in the AL West, and winning the division is just a pipe dream.
At the moment, it still feels a bit unlikely that they’ll trade Ohtani. Any deal that big will take time to make happen, for many reasons. And it’s no secret that owner Arte Moreno desperately wants to see the world’s best baseball player wearing his team’s uniform in October. But what if, by the end of the week, they’re five or more games out of the final wild-card spot?
That could change the equation. It should change the equation. Because the truth is, the difference between what they could get as a return in a trade — multiple players who are MLB-ready or close — and what they’d get as compensation if he leaves as a free agent after the season — one draft pick, and not a first-rounder — is pretty significant.
So, yeah, these next few games matter.
I feel obligated to say this: From any rational baseball approach, they should have traded Ohtani long ago. Honestly, it’s insane that a couple of Ws or Ls this week could impact whether he’s moved. But that’s where we are. By trading him this past offseason, the Angels could have addressed the multiple talent-shortcoming issues they have as a franchise. They did not, though. By all accounts, they didn’t even listen to offers. A month ago, when they were sitting in the third wild-card spot, the Angels said they wouldn’t trade him. After a mediocre July, whispers and rumors say they’re at least open to the possibility.
It’s about time.
The sad truth is, it speaks volumes about the current state of the Angels that these are — by far — the most important games of Ohtani’s career with the franchise. And for a competitor like Ohtani, who loves the biggest stages and the biggest moments — remember how he performed for Japan in the World Baseball Classic this spring? — you know the constant losing has been overwhelmingly frustrating.
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It’s why the chances of Ohtani signing a long-term contract to remain with the Angels for the next decade seem non-existent to anyone outside of Anaheim.
So let’s look at the Angels’ games leading up to the trade deadline. They’re all on the road, which is not a good place to start; the Angels are four games under .500 on the road this year. The first three, starting Tuesday, are in Detroit. The Tigers have been better lately, with a 10-8 record in July, and they have their three best starting pitchers — Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen and Matt Manning — lined up to start the three games vs. the Angels.
Then, the Angels travel across the border to Toronto. Ohtani is scheduled to start the opener on the mound, opposite Kevin Gausman. That’s quite a matchup. The Jays have won 10 of their past 15 games and are 27-20 on the road this year. They’re also the team that owns the third AL wild-card spot at the moment, making these three games HUGE (relatively speaking, of course).
And, though it almost certainly won’t come down to the final day — if the Angels decide to keep Ohtani, they have to make trade additions to support a playoff push — the club’s last game before the deadline is in Atlanta on July 31. The clubs play again on deadline day, with first pitch set for 7:20 p.m. ET, a little more than an hour after the deadline.
Oh, and Ohtani’s next tentative start date as a pitcher? It’s Aug. 3.
What uniform will he be wearing?