The Los Angeles Angels know that this might very well be Shohei Ohtani‘s last season with the club.
He is on his last year of arbitration eligibility, and then will probably test the free agent waters after 2023.
That doesn’t mean he is not interested in what the Angels do this offseason.
In fact, he is very much involved.
Shohei Ohtani regularly asks Angels GM Perry Minasian about which players the Angels are looking at and who they might be adding to the roster, Minasian said.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) December 6, 2022
“Shohei Ohtani regularly asks Angels GM Perry Minasian about which players the Angels are looking at and who they might be adding to the roster, Minasian said,” Angels insider Sam Blum tweeted.
Far from meddling, Ohtani is just interested in what kind of roster the Angels will field in his (possibly) last shot at making the playoffs with them.
Ohtani Is Interested In What Kind Of Roster The Angels Field
In fact, Blum clarifies the situation in a subsequent tweet.
“It seems people are going to take this in a million different directions. When Perry (Minasian) said it, I simply took it to mean that he’s just interested in who’s on the roster in the hopes of fielding a competitive team next season,” Blum wrote.
Ohtani had an .875 OPS in 2022 plus 34 home runs; and also posted a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts as a pitcher.
He may be the single most impactful player in the big leagues, functioning like a middle-of-the-order producer and an ace while occupying a single roster spot.
It’s only natural that he wants to win, and to do that, he needs the Angels to surround him with the right pieces.
They have added two pitchers so far in Tyler Anderson and Carlos Estevez, but more is needed if they want to compete for a Wild Card spot in the American League.
NEXT: The Angels Continue To Focus On Pitching Depth