LA Angels had their chance of keeping Shohei Ohtani, but they fumbled it

Shohei Ohtani is MLB's biggest star. After he signed the biggest deal in sports history with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, all eyes are on him. Everyone expects that he lives up to the hype and the money he will earn in the next 20 years.

Undoubtedly, Ohtani's choice to the Dodgers, despite other teams like the Giants and Blue Jays reportedly accepting the same , is a monumental shift. The $700 million, ten-year deal, with deferrals, has not only secured his future but also marked a turning point in MLB and baseball as a whole.

Angels had their chance with Ohtani

However, things could've gone differently during the winter; as Jon Heyman of The New Post reports, Ohtani didn't rule out staying in Anaheim, as the Angels were presented with the same deal that he ended up g with the Dodgers.

Heyman reports that Ohtani liked living in Orange County and was loyal to and appreciated the Angels. Still, ultimately, owner Arte Moreno and GM Perry Minasian decided to pull the plug on the deal and move on from the Japanese, as they didn't accept the of the contract Ohtani wanted.

At the end of the day, the Dodgers were always seen as the favorites to sign Ohtani despite the interest and efforts of other franchises like the Giants, the Angels, and the Blue Jays.

Ohtani, 29, batted .304 in 135 games in his last season with the Angels, and led the AL in homers (44), on-base percentage (.412), slugging percentage (.654), OPS (1.066) and total bases (325) while winning his second MVP award. He also was voted MVP in 2021 and finished second in 2022.