Shohei Ohtani is off MLB trade deadline market
The Angels, according to reports, have taken Shohei Ohtani off the trade market, and they also pulled off a deal Wednesday night, in moves that signal they plan on a playoff push before baseball’s biggest star hits the open market this winter.
The Angels made the decision late Wednesday afternoon after spending two days discussing what they would do and fielding trade offers. Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci first reported that decision which was later confirmed by The Post’s Jon Heyman.
Then, on Wednesday night came word of a trade by the Angels, who are sitting just four games out of an AL wild-card spot and decided to be buyers ahead of the trade deadline this coming Tuesday.
The White Sox announced they were sending right-handed pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez to the Angels in exchange for a pair of minor leaguers: catcher Edgar Quero and pitcher Ky Bush.
Earlier, Verducci had reported Angels general manager Perry Minasian had set his sights on adding a starting pitcher and a reliever, which Giolito and Lopez are, respectively.
The decision to buy rather than sell reflects how things have shifted for the Angels.
“[Owner] Arte [Moreno] seems committed to making a run this season — the best way to do that is through addition not subtraction,” a source familiar with the situation told The Post’s Jon Heyman.
Asked if they could envision Moreno changing his mind before the deadline, the source said, “I don’t. Moreno is too committed to the fans.”
After the Angels suffered a devastating loss to the Houston Astros on July 16 to drop their record to 46-48, teams began calling to inquire about Ohtani.
Little momentum came from those conversations as teams offered minor league players to the Angels and the team’s fortunes have since turned.
The Angels have won six of seven games before their game Wednesday night at Detroit was postponed by rain until Thursday.
The team’s other superstar, Mike Trout, is expected to return from injury in the middle of August, possibly providing a massive boost to the lineup toward the stretch run.
Despite the plan to keep Ohtani this season, it still is likely to be his final season with the Angels.
It is anticipated Ohtani will get a historic contract this offseason, and the Angels are not likely to be able to match what other teams will offer the two-way star.
That further underscores the importance of this season for the Angels, who have not made the playoffs since 2014 and whose eight-year playoff drought is tied with the Tigers for the longest in MLB.
Ohtani is in the midst of a historic season.
He is putting together a dominant offensive season and leads the majors with 36 home runs, a .668 slugging percentage, a 1.066 OPS and 250 total bases and is tied for the MLB lead in triples, with seven.
He also leads the AL in walks, with 62. On the mound, Ohtani has a 3.71 ERA through 111 ²/₃ innings this season.