The Los Angeles Angels have decided not to trade Shohei Ohtani, Sports Illustrated reported Wednesday, and took a small step toward getting their two-way superstar into his first MLB playoffs with the acquisition of two pitchers.
Ohtani has spoken openly about his frustration at not reaching the postseason in his first five MLB seasons, and is expected to attract the biggest contract in baseball history when he becomes a free agent at the end of the season.
The American League's 2018 rookie of the year and 2021 Most Valuable Player, Ohtani is the clear favorite for this year's AL MVP Award.
He leads MLB with 36 home runs, seven triples, a .668 slugging average, and a 1.066 OPS (on-base-percentage plus slugging) while being first in the AL with 62 walks. On top of that, Ohtani is the Angels' top pitcher, with an 8-5 record, a 3.71 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 111-2/3 innings.
It was always going to be difficult to trade Ohtani. Any team seeking to acquire him prior to the MLB Aug. 1 trade deadline would have expected to part with a large amount of young talent in exchange for a few months of Ohtani before he reaches free agency at season's end.
The Angels instead opted to weaken their own young talent pool by sending catcher Edgar Quero and left-handed pitcher Ky Bush to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez.
Giolito, who will also be a free agent this year, is 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA this season. Lopez has pitched in 43 games this season for the Sox with mixed results.
The Angels, whose game Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers was postponed, enter play Thursday third in the AL west, seven games back of the Texas Rangers, and sixth in the league's wild card race, four games back of the third and final berth.
