Shohei Ohtani is a baseball player unlike one any of us have ever seen. The 29-year-old is so special that he has been nicknamed “The Unicorn”, due to his other-worldly abilities both at the plate and on the mound.
Shohei Ohtani Should Be Traded, Says Stephen A Smith
All I want to do is let the world know that we are watching the greatest athlete on planet earth. And he plays baseball.
And his name is Shohei Ohtani.
This went 493 feet and he’s the first player in baseball to 30 home runs.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) July 1, 2023
For the Los Angeles Angels, it as though they have been able to catch lightning in a bottle, and they’ve done so twice. Ohtani joined an Angels team that already featured the man who was arguably the best player in baseball.
Mike Trout had been dubbed the best player of our generation (and others), having won 3 AL MVP Awards and qualifying for 11 All-Star appearances. But the wildly-talented outfielder has only been to the playoffs once, as Los Angeles hasn’t qualified for postseason play since 2014.
The hope was that pairing Ohtani with Trout would help push them over the top. But despite having both of them on their roster for the last five years, the team hasn’t even been able to muster a winning record. Each of them has earned an MVP award during that span, and Ohtani was the Rookie of the Year in 2018, but the individual accomplishments never translated into team victories.
Angels Have Failed To Win With Two Superstars
“The [Angels] haven’t even had a winning record with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout on the team together… This is the modern-day Babe Ruth and Babe Ruth was traded.”
Stephen A. Smith says the Angels CANNOT let Ohtani hit free agency 😶
(via @FirstTake)pic.twitter.com/HG3sR1L8Sy
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 5, 2023
With Shohei Ohtani facing a free agency situation after the current season concludes, there are plenty of rumors swirling about where he might end up. According to Stephen A Smith, the Angels shouldn’t even let it get to that point.
When debating the topic with Chris Russo on First Take, Smith had the following to say:
“What have they won? They haven’t even had a winning record with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout on the team together…You can’t let him walk for nothing…Do you know how many seats he’s going to fill up for a team with the potential to win?…This is the modern day Babe Ruth, and Babe Ruth was traded.”
Depending on the type of long-term contract that Ohtani would be willing to sign with a team he is traded to, the Angels could receive a boat load of assets and future prospects in exchange for the superstar if they decided to deal him. They have certainly failed with both he and Trout on the roster, and they could use the opportunity to build up their farm system.
Shohei Ohtani currently has a 3.32 ERA and has the 4th shortest odds of winning the AL Cy Young Award. He also leads the American League in home runs, slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases.
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