Late last night, the Los Angeles Angels made a key trade with the Chicago White Sox to acquire pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez.
In exchange, the White Sox received catcher Edgar Quero and left-hander Ky Bush from the Halos.
This came just hours after Tom Verducci announced that the Halos were taking two-way star Shohei Ohtani off the trading block.
With this move, it is clear now that the Angels are going for it and are doing everything in their power to get Ohtani and Mike Trout to the postseason.
On Twitter, Jeff Passan, who first announced the trade, commented on the fact that this ensures Ohtani will remain an Angel for the rest of the year.
If ever there were any question whether Shohei Ohtani is going to be a Los Angeles Angel for the remainder of the 2023 season, this unequivocally puts it to rest. The Angels are going for it, and in Quero and Bush, the White Sox got two excellent prospects for two rental players.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 27, 2023
The Angels have one goal in mind, and that is to win.
Ohtani may ultimately be leaving this offseason, as he is set to enter free agency and will likely command a massive contract with whichever team signs him.
The expectation by many is that he will leave the Angels.
However for now, Ohtani isn’t going anywhere, and the Angels remain fully committed to bringing a championship back to Los Angeles while they still have the two-way star under contract.
The Halos came into Thursday’s doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers owning a record of 52-49 and sitting just four games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the third and final Wild Card spot.
Adding Giolito makes them a serious threat to chase down the Blue Jays and secure the third Wild Card spot.
NEXT: Angels Make A Blockbuster Trade With The White Sox
