Los Angeles Angels: Shohei Ohtani needs to play in the postseason

The Los Angeles Angels have two legitimate generational players in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The team is still waiting on the former’s return from injury, but the latter recently announced he will take place in this year’s Home Run Derby.

The two-way superstar can do it all and him winning the Derby would come as no surprise. While this is exciting, what MLB really needs is the Angels to get their act together and reach the postseason. Otherwise, MLB’s most intriguing star will be sitting at home when the games matter most.

Angels need to end current playoff drought

The Angels last made the postseason back in 2014. They were swept out of the ALDS by the Kansas City Royals and have been mediocre ever since. That is simply inexcusable with the money being spent on the roster.

Yet it remains no secret why the Angels can’t piece together a contender and it has nothing to do with paying Trout, Ohtani, and Anthony Rendon. It has to do with the atrocious pitching staff.

So why can’t the Angels lure a star to pitch in Anaheim? That is the ultimate question and it may come down to a lack of a winning product. It is going to take more than just one elite starter, alongside Ohtani, to compete for a World Series.

The Angels have six pitchers who have made at least five starts this year. Ohtani leads the way with a 2.70 ERA. After him, Alex Cobb is next-best at 4.41. This is a team where one of the regular starters, Dylan Bundy, has an ERA approaching 7.00. So while the Angels are tied for third in the American League in runs scored, being second-worst in runs allowed tells the story.

Ohtani’s club enters play Saturday at 35-35, or exactly average. While there is no magic solution to fixing the club, swinging a trade for a starting pitcher may be necessary, even if it guts the farm system. The alternative is wasting another year of Trout and Ohtani’s respective primes.