The Los Angeles Angels will not trade two-way star Shohei Ohtani this summer, general manager Perry Minasian confirmed Thursday ahead of Major League Baseball's Aug. 1 trade deadline.
"This is a special player having a unique season with a team that has a chance to win," Minasian told reporters in Detroit, referring to the 29-year-old Ohtani whose stellar play has contributed to the Angels' hopes of making the postseason for the first time since 2014.
Ohtani, who signed a one-year, $30 million deal with the club last October, is set to become a free agent at the end of this season.
"He is somebody that comes in, prepares, works, goes out and performs on a nightly basis," Minasian added, saying he can envision Ohtani "being here for a long, long time" if a fresh contract keeps him with the AL West team.
"Our fan base is very underrated. I think it's one of the better fan bases in baseball," he said. "I think there's a lot of appeal to playing here."
Ohtani has spoken openly about his frustration at not reaching the postseason in his first five MLB seasons, and is expected to attract the biggest contract in baseball history upon entering free agency.
The American League's 2018 Rookie of the Year and 2021 Most Valuable Player, Ohtani is the clear favorite for this year's AL MVP Award.
Before Thursday, he led the majors with 36 home runs, seven triples, a .668 slugging average and a 1.066 OPS (on-base-percentage plus slugging), while being first in the AL with 62 walks. On top of that, Ohtani is the Angels' top pitcher, with an 8-5 record, a 3.71 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 111-2/3 innings.
It was always going to be difficult to trade Ohtani. Any team seeking to acquire him prior to the Aug. 1 deadline would have expected to part with a large amount of young talent in exchange for a few months of Ohtani before he reaches free agency at season's end.
The Angels instead opted to weaken their own young talent pool by sending catcher Edgar Quero and left-handed pitcher Ky Bush to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez.
Giolito, who will also be a free agent this year, is 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA this season. Lopez has pitched in 43 games this season for the Sox with mixed results.
Sitting in third place in their division, the Angels were four games back in the race for the league's third and final wildcard playoff berth heading into play on Thursday.
