Shohei Ohtani News: Why Angels Decision to Not Trade Superstar is Great News for Dodgers

On Wednesday, the Angels officially put their foot down, as it was announced that they would not be trading two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani ahead of this year’s August 1 deadline.

While just about everyone had an opinion on the decision, the Halos felt it was the right move, as they not only wanted to go all-in on this season, but also wanted to have a better chance at keeping Ohtani in the offseason.

While this is obviously the best move for the Halos to potentially retain Ohtani this offseason, the team that most benefits from this decision is actually the Dodgers.

I know what you’re wondering: How are the Dodgers possibly the biggest winner from this decision? Well, it’s actually quite simple.

The Dodgers are the team that many have considered the favorite for Shohei Ohtani for the last year-plus. If he got to free agency, it was assumed that the Dodgers would not only make the biggest push to land him, but also have the best chance.

The Dodgers can offer Ohtani a boatload of money, the ability to remain close to his current home and, most importantly, the chance to win. It seems like a no-brainer why Ohtani would choose the Dodgers, and for LA, they just needed him to get to free agency.

Now, on the flip side of things, let’s just say Ohtani was traded this deadline. Angels owner Arte Moreno made it pretty clear that he wouldn’t trade Shohei to his crosstown “rival,” meaning Ohtani would get a few months somewhere else. If that were the case, who knows what could have happened.

Ohtani would get a few months to go to a new home and team — and it would have definitely been a contending team trading for him — and get an opportunity to see what it’s like to be with a winner.

A lot could have happened in those two months, and maybe Ohtani would have liked where he was, and wanted to stay long term.

However, now the Dodgers will have the same opportunity as everyone else to get Ohtani, as he’ll have only known the Angels for the entirety of his MLB career.

So when Ohtani enters free agency this offseason, it’ll be Angels or something new — and since everyone seems to think the Dodgers are the favorites in terms of the “something new,” him remaining in Anaheim for the rest of this season will keep it that way.

Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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