Los Angeles Angels: Shohei Ohtani makes his choice to wear a halo
The Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes came to an end on Friday when he chose to sign with the Los Angeles Angels. Where does this put the Angels in the AL West hunt?
The long-awaited and much-hyped decision of the offseason was made Friday as Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels, choosing them over 6 other finalists.
Reported by a number of sources, the agent for Ohtani eventually confirmed his agent’s new destination.
How Ohtani fits with the Angels
The initial thought for many is that Ohtani joins an Angels team that was Mike Trout and not much else in 2017 – so what would make him choose there over other destinations?
Ohtani would have the opportunity with the Angels to play with the best player in the game, Trout, and it could be nice to see Trout finally get the press he’s due. He’s also got future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols in the lineup and the clubhouse as a guy who’s held the reigns as the best player in the game as well for a time, so both could help mentor Ohtani on handling that pressure and spotlight.
Another big draw in the eye of one former MLB pitcher discussing the options this weekend with this writer would be the presence of two significant gloves – Martin Maldonado behind the plate and Andrelton Simmons at shortstop. Both of those players received recognition for their defensive excellence in 2017, and it was more than well-deserved.
Last, but certainly not least, is that the Angels likely made a strong pitch to utilize a 6-man rotation for 2018 with Ohtani. The Angels will have Alex Meyer, Andrew Heaney, J.C. Ramirez, Parker Bridwell, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker, and Garrett Richards as other candidates for the rotation with Ohtani, and all will have some level of need for extra rest, making a six-man rotation ideal for the Angels.
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Los Angeles Angels other moves so far
After finishing tied for the final spot out of the playoffs in 2017, with 80 wins tying them with the Rays and Royals 5 games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final Wild Card spot. After major issues in their lineup and injuries in their pitching in 2017, the Angels sought to ensure they could return to the postseason in 2018.
They started the offseason by extending midseason acquisition, outfielder Justin Upton. Upton hit for significant power with the Angels, tallying a .245/.357/.531 line with 7 home runs and 4 steals over 27 games.
The next major move was to make a trade with the Atlanta Braves for former closer Jim Johnson. By absorbing his $5 million contract for 2018, the Angels were able to get another $1 million of international free agent money and only give up a low-level prospect.
The Angels have also made noise in signing the prospects that were released by the recent punishment of the Braves. They signed highly-touted Kevin Maitan and also Livan Soto, who has received very high praise after his impressive showing in his pro debut.
Add Ohtani to Maitan and Soto on top of an excellent 2017 draft in the Angels system, and they’re in the middle of the pack as a farm system after frequently being one of the bottom 2-3 systems in the whole game over the last few seasons.
While the signings of Maitan and Soto won’t impact the major league club in 2018, there is no doubt that so far, the Los Angeles Angels have stolen the headlines of the 2017-2018 offseason!