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Shohei Ohtani is a two-way player who’s spent the entirety of his Major League Baseball career with the two Los Angeles teams.
Before he left the Angels for the Dodgers in free agency, though, he very nearly ended up elsewhere in Southern California — or across the country.
In 2022, the Angels reportedly discussed a trade deadline deal that would have sent Ohtani the San Diego Padres, and in 2023, a near-deal at the trade deadline would’ve sent Ohtani to the Tampa Bay Rays, as reported byThe Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
Angels almost shipped off Shohei Ohtani
As Rosenthal explains, Angels owner Arte Moreno declined to deal his superstar, despite the widely held belief that Ohtani would choose to go elsewhere at the end of the 2023 season.
If he had agreed to either deal, the Angels would’ve at least got something for losing Ohtani.
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Jul 12, 2021; Denver, CO, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Juan Soto greets Los Angeles Angels designated hitter/starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani during the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
The Padres ultimately got Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals, dealing outfielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams and left-hander MacKenzie Gore in exchange.
And the Rays would’ve given up third baseman Junior Caminero and shortstop Carson Williams for Ohtani, Rosenthal reports.
The Angels, who are struggling this year to the point that fans are holding protests to demand Moreno sell the team, surely would’ve benefited from adding players of that caliber.
Rosenthal said All-Star center fielder Jackson Merrill was also in the mix in the potential deal with Washington.
And as for the Rays, Caminero was an All-Star last season, and Williams was Minor League Baseball Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.
Who did the Angels get instead?
Nobody.
They didn’t even get Ohtani for the rest of the 2023 season, as he tore his UCL, then strained his oblique.
Ohtani then walked in free agency, landing with the Dodgers and helping the Boys in Blue win two straight World Series and, possibly, a third in 2026.
He’s doing things for the Dodgers that haven’t been seen for decades and likely won’t ever happen again, pitching at a Cy Young level while continuing his dominance at the plate.
To be fair, all of this doesn’t change that Ohtani was likely to leave the Angels in free agency anyway, and there’s no guarantee these young prospects would’ve blossomed the way they did if they played at Angel Stadium.
But still, for Angels fans, the “what could have been” is enough to keep you up at night.
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