Arte Moreno Unsure if Shohei Ohtani Wants To Remain a Halo Amidst WBC Play
Ohtani #Ohtani
Moreno does not sugarcoat Ohtani’s situation.
Even though Arte Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels, has been doing his best to avoid the media these past few years, he certainly still pays attention to them. Shohei Ohtani’s greatness along with his looming free agency after this season are two headlines that dominate any other news involving the franchise.
Despite sticking with the team for his first five seasons in the league and taking the field with future hall of fame talent Mike Trout, Ohtani has yet to sniff a playoff atmosphere. Moreno and the Angels organization have been unsuccessful in surrounding their 28-year-old superstar with other pieces that can help him win games.
Many fans have been very critical of Moreno’s attempts to make Ohtani feel like he should re-sign with the team. In a rare interview with The Athletic recently, the 76-year-old downplayed the talent of his phenom and only placed him within the top five to ten talents in the league.
In the same interview, Moreno spoke more in detail about his superstar’s situation as a whole and revealed that he wants to see the passion from Ohtani to want to remain in Los Angeles as well.
“Ohtani has to want to be here too,” said Moreno. “It’s a two-way street. When I started talking to Mike, and I spent a lot of time with Mike, I just said, ‘You have to make a decision. Is this where you want to be? Is this where you want your family to be?’ And when we start sitting down with the (Ohtani’s) agent, and Ohtani, he has to figure out if this is where he wants to be.”
(Via The Athletic)
If Ohtani does hit free agency after no trade goes through and no extension with the Angels is signed, it’s going to be an insane bidding war for him. There are very few players, if any, in the MLB that possess his skillset and he is currently showcasing it on the biggest stage possible.