3 American League teams facing a make-or-break June
By Scott Roche
Los Angeles Angels
Out of all the teams in the majors, no team will be closely watched more than the Los Angeles Angels. Why? It’s simple really for two reasons.
First off, it’s almost an annual tradition that they play good baseball in April and May and look like a playoff team, only to slowly fall off following Memorial Day Weekend and find themselves digging too deep of a hole to be close enough to claim a playoff berth. Second? That’s easy, Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani’s impending free agency following the 2023 season has teams lining up to make a bid for his services. If he hits the free agent market, this will be a lot different than Aaron Judge’s free agency last offseason. It never felt like he was going to leave the New York Yankees, despite multiple teams making a run at the 2022 home run King. Ohtani feels different.
It’s bad enough that the Angels are spending Mike Trout’s prime years playing out the string in September, but doing so again this season should be a warning sign to Ohtani that winning in Los Angeles might not happen with the Angels. Making a move across the city to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers, however, could be a path to winning for him, and what a story that would be.
It is also possible that the Angels decide to trade him at the trade deadline, but it’s very unlikely unless they get the sense he’s gone for good over the winter. Having to deal with the Rangers is one more obstacle for Los Angeles to deal with this season and a tough June, which has started off by losing three out of four in Houston, could be a serious dent into the postseason hopes and Ohtani’s future with the organization.