The Athletic has live coverage of Shohei Ohtani’s first Dodgers press conference
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Outside the Angel Stadium main gate was an electronic video board welcoming new manager Ron Washington the day of his introduction. Right above that was the massive mural of individual players — Shohei Ohtani’s image impossible to miss.
A large image of Shohei Ohtani at Angel Stadium must come down now that he’s headed to the Dodgers. (Photo by Sam Blum / The Athletic)One day later, on Nov. 17, Ohtani won the MVP. The Angels sent out a press release and social media posts advertising Ohtani MVP merchandise, available for purchase.
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Ohtani was already a free agent at the time. No more an Angel than he was a member of the 29 other teams. But, clearly from the Angels’ side, there was a desire to squeeze every morsel it could out of this relationship. Manifest the possibility that his tenure in Anaheim could be elongated.
That reality did not play out. Ohtani’s mural will have to come down. The franchise will have to move on, because the two-way superstar has. He announced that he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday, for what his agency said was a 10-year, $700 million contract. It marks the largest free-agent contract in the sport’s history.
Ohtani’s time with the Angels is officially over.
His legacy with the franchise will be unmistakable. Two unanimous MVPs amid what may be remembered as the greatest three-year run of all time. He crushed 124 homers over the past three seasons and struck out 542 batters. His OPS+ this year was 184. His ERA+ in 2022 was 172. Until his final season ended in injury, he posted nearly every day and carried this team when on the field.
The Angels’ legacy with Ohtani, however, is equally unforgettable. They went 73-89 the past two seasons after finishing 77-85 in 2021. They never played a meaningful September game. Never sniffed the postseason. And the team’s inability to win led to perpetual national ridicule for authoring a situation where all-time talents Ohtani and Mike Trout sat at home each October.
The loss of Ohtani is an undeniable blow for the Angels. They’ve always enjoyed being relevant, even amid the losing. That was thanks to Ohtani, and to Trout, who has three MVPs of his own. Now, Ohtani is gone. And the 32-year-old Trout’s durability remains a question mark after three straight seasons with extended IL stints.
This team, for better or worse, will be completely redefined moving forward. And as of now, that leaves them in no-man’s land. The Angels’ expected 2024 payroll is $153 million, according to FanGraphs. That includes estimated paydays for their arbitration-eligible players.
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Angels GM Perry Minasian has gone on record to state the team will be aggressive this offseason. But he’s also been evasive on whether his boss, owner Arte Moreno, will elevate his payroll again in 2024 after finishing just below the $233 million luxury tax threshold in 2023. With Ohtani off the board, the pressure is squarely on Minasian to get to work and build out a competitive roster.
It’s not yet clear what this could mean for GM Perry Minasian’s future with the Angels. (Kyodo via AP Images)Moreno was willing to spend on Ohtani — at least, that’s what he said. But will he feel the same way about other free agents? The Angels did everything they could to build a winner around him last year. Even to their detriment at times. How important will winning be in the immediate aftermath of his departure?
So much of this franchise’s future remains in serious limbo. Beyond payroll, Minasian is entering the final year of his contract. Washington is on just a two-year deal. The efforts to either renovate or replace Angel Stadium and redevelop the surrounding area have made no progress in the 18 months since the land deal with the city fell through. And the 77-year-old owner has no clear succession plan.
Everything in the Angels’ universe had been centered around Ohtani. His departure means that all of these issues come directly to the forefront.
But, for now, Ohtani leaving is still a shock to the system. The mural must come down. The many, many other likenesses all around the ballpark will disappear. For as many questions as the Angels have regarding their future, their present will be about coming to terms with what just happened.
The decision feels instantaneous. But the foundation for it was years in the making.
Ohtani’s averseness to the media over the years, and his perpetually guarded answers, left a void that could only be filled with speculation.
After the 2021 season, Ohtani was asked if he liked playing for the Angels. He said he enjoyed the team and fans, but added, “More than that, I want to win. That’s the biggest thing for me. So, I’ll leave it at that.”
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Before the 2022 trade deadline, Ohtani was asked if he wanted to remain with the team or be dealt.
“I’m with the Angels right now. And I’m very thankful for what they’ve done,” he said. “I really love the team. I love my teammates. Right now, I’m an Angel, and that’s all I can really focus on at this point.”
He answered questions similarly throughout 2023. How people viewed it was in the eye of the beholder. Was he signaling a desire to leave? Was he simply avoiding any definitive statement, knowing the firestorm it could cause?
Contrary to the widespread narrative, Ohtani never seemed to be desperate to leave. He had developed a level of comfort with his Angels teammates and established a familiarity with the front office. The organization capitulated to his every request and allowed him to play as much as he wanted.
But for as much the Angels gave him, they couldn’t provide a winning roster. And they couldn’t establish enough credibility or instill enough confidence that success was coming soon for him to give them another chance. The Dodgers are a perpetually competitive franchise. Regular division winners.
There’s no way to know right now exactly why Ohtani chose to leave Anaheim for Los Angeles. But winning was more important than anything else if you take him at his word. And the Angels simply did not win enough.
GO DEEPER
Law: Shohei Ohtani gets the deal he deserves, and the Dodgers get a superstar
(Top photo of Ohtani: Michael Owens / Getty Images)
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