As the Los Angeles Angels made the sale of the club, which had been promoted for the past five months, a ‘nothing’, a big variable appeared in the future of Shohei Ohtani, the signboard.
Angels owner Art Moreno announced on the 24th (Korean time), “As the sale became more likely, we realized that our hearts are with the Angels and we are not ready to say goodbye to our fans, players and staff just yet.” .
It is known that the partners who negotiated with the Angels were Joe Lakob, owner of the Golden State Warriors, and Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times. As Moreno said, negotiations were likely to come to fruition, but in the end it appears that they have not been able to narrow their differences on the final terms of the sale. The approximate market value of the Angels club is around $2.5 billion.
To increase the value of the club, Moreno actively invested in free agents and the trade market this offseason, recording the largest payroll ever since he took office as owner. He also put to rest rumors of a trade by declaring, “I will not let him go this winter,” regarding Shohei Ohtani, who will be eligible for free agency at the end of this year.
Local media believe that there were not a few investors who expressed their intention to acquire the Angels in that they have only failed in the postseason for the last 8 years in a row, but have improved their future vision and marketability.
Regarding this, ESPN said, ‘Angel Stadium is attractive to investors because of its proximity to major highways and theme parks, and its location to build something nearby. In addition, the Angels said that the broadcasting rights contract with FOX reached $ 3 billion for 20 years from 2012 to 2031, so the club’s income was stable in the mid- to long-term. It was also estimated to reach . In other words, it can be said that the final sale price proposed by the Angels was not accepted in the end.
Anyway, rumors of Ohtani trade are likely to rise again. Even if it is not this offseason, it is difficult for the Angels to turn away from the trade that sells Ohtani to receive a number of promising players if they are likely to be eliminated in the postseason this year. Late July to early August is the best time to trade. Even if he advances to the postseason, it is difficult to guarantee that he will be able to protect Ohtani in the free agent market after the season. 먹튀검증
Reporter John Heyman of the New York Post recently said, ‘There is no shortage of teams to take Ohtani. Teams that want to win the World Series, such as the New York Mets, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies, will try to get him.”
Ohtani’s free agent contract is expected to exceed $500 million. Most of the club officials and agents see it that way. Moreno, who has already paid big bucks for Mike Trout ($426.5 million over 12 years) and Anthony Rendon ($245 million over 7 years), isn’t worth the money he’d be greedy for. Although it is possible to negotiate an extended contract with Ohtani before the trade, it seems realistically difficult to offer more than $500 million.
If Ohtani leaves, the player who will be most disappointed is Trout. Trout, who was unable to stand on the postseason stage for the last time in 2014, is longing for a championship with Ohtani.
On the 24th, he appeared on a podcast hosted by Cree Maddog Russo of MLB Network and said, “I have talked about Ohtani many times over the years playing with him, but I want nothing more than winning. He hates losing too. “It’s such a wonderful experience to be able to see him. He deserves all the credit,” he said. “We should have a great season together. I hope he stays here.” The club insisted that Ohtani be tied to a long-term contract.