Wednesday night, the biggest name on the trade market was removed. Something that nobody thought they’d see a resolution to until the weekend at the earliest. The MLB hot stove might be getting as hot as we would like, but it is finally starting to take shape, especially with the biggest name in baseball being unavailable. Instead, the Los Angeles Angels are going all in with intentions to make a postseason run for October.
MLB Trade Deadline Rumors
Lackluster Offers and A Hot Streak
The trade deadline is still days away, with many variables in play. One is how things could fall apart in 3 days. Why pull the biggest name on the trade market? Well, the powers removed Shohei Ohtani from any trade on Wednesday evening. The Angels as a team have been neutral for a couple of weeks. July 16 was a turning point. They blew a 7-5 lead, leading to a 9-8 loss to the Houston Astros. From that point, the team took a wait-and-see approach.
“The Angels aren’t interested in prospects and lottery tickets… in that mini-run, the Angels front office was convinced, ‘We have a chance at the Postseason.’ “
Tom Verducci joins #MLBTonight with the latest on Shohei Ohtani reportedly staying in Anaheim past the deadline. pic.twitter.com/UuDLVz59NS
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 27, 2023
The Angels haven’t been to the postseason since 2014. As of right now, they’re 3 1/2 games back. At the same time, winning 6 out of their last 7 games. This run might have shifted the mindset of the front office. Try to win everything, instead of selling off and punting away the season to buying into the team and giving them more weapons.
Inside the Numbers
Looking inside the current run, the Angels are on. Ohtani hasn’t pitched well since coming back from the All-Star break. In his last start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he allowed five earned runs on four home runs. Whereas, back from the break, Ohtani allowed four runs in five innings in his first start of the second half. Most of his issues on the mound could be from the blister issues on his pitching hand. No matter the problem, nine runs in 11 and ⅓ innings are not suitable for any pitcher, let alone a player like Ohtani.
While hitting, the 29-year-old has come back down to Earth. In 17 games played in July, Ohtani has a line of .241/.400/.637 with a wRC+ of 166. Those are still incredible numbers. Ohtani still has a chance to make history in an Angels uniform. He currently sits at 36 home runs and still has a shot at breaking the AL record 62. It makes sense for an Angels team to believe they still have an attempt to make it into October.
Understanding the moment is hard. Knowing when to sell versus by is even more challenging. Currently, being four games back in the Wild Card race with those numbers and lackluster offers. The best team the Angels can produce includes Ohtani. Trading him away at this point doesn’t yield a positive return for the Angels. Two months of a healthy Mike Trout and Ohtani could be the best thing for the Angels.
Time Will Tell
The most significant risk, of course in the winter, Ohtani leaves for another team, and the Angels only get a competition draft pick. Right now, however, it is the end of July, and they have a chance to get into the playoffs for the first time in 8 years. The risk is a giant one. Things could end in disaster, and the bold risk taken here will be remembered as a blunder. One clear thing is that Arte Moreno and Perry Minasian believe in this team.
They are now buyers and have holes to fill in that time. By August 1, they could be seven games out of that spot, and everything could change again. The Angels will do what they can to get to October.
Photo Credit: © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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