Alex Rodriguez suggests Shohei Ohtani and Trout clearout, says wholesale changes to Angels' $207,000,000 payroll will land World Series in five years

A-Rod has some unorthodox answers for how the Angels should deal with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout
A-Rod has some unorthodox answers for how the Angels should deal with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout

Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout are two of the greatest baseball players on earth, and they both happen to play on the same team. However, despite boasting four MVP Awards and a pair of Rookie of the Year Awards between them, the Los Angeles Angels have not made the postseason since 2014.

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The Angels' predicament has become one of the most widely-reported on conundrums in the sporting world. Unfortunately for the team, things are about to get even more trying.

Despite leading the league in home runs with 32, and has gone 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA in 17 starts this season, Shohei Ohtani's future in LA is uncertain. With the team already forking out $426.5 million on Mike Trout's massive 13-year 2019 deal, the appetite for another contract of similar size seems out of the question for Ohtani.

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While nearly everyone in the baseball sphere has their own set of prescriptions for the ailing Angels, former 3-time MVP and New York Yankees icon Alex Rodriguez has his own views. Speaking alongside an array of fellow former stars on FOX Sports for the All-Star Game, A-Rod presented a rather unorthodox gameplan for the Angels.

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"The crew give their thoughts on if the Angels should trade Shohei Ohtani. @kevin burkhardt | @AROD | @DavidOrtiz | @derekjeter"- Flippin Bats Podcast

The topic under discussion pertained to whether or not the Angels should trade Ohtani on or before the August 1 Trade Deadline. The theory is that with Ohtani departing in the fall anyways, the team would be wise to retain some value. According to A-Rod, the team should not stop at Ohtani, and also look at dealing Mike Trout.

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According to Rodriguez, trading their two stars would allow the Los Angeles Angels to load up on draft picks, and focus on rebuilding for the future. A-Rod also added that if the team followed his directions, they would be looking at realizeable success within the next five seasons.

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"Buster Olney says the Yankees are most likely to acquire Shohei Ohtani in a trade this year" - Talkin Baseball

Former teammate co-panelist Derek Jeter derided Rodriguez for his rather unorthodox take. The Hall of Fame shortstop, however, did concede that A-Rod's point regarding Ohtani "made sense."

Shohei Ohtani's main focus needs to be on his current team

While there is no doubt that talk of trades and contract signings are exciting, the Angels need Ohtani now. While the team's cold snap before the All-Star break hurt their prospects, the team is poised for a late season push. Ohtani will get his pay day, but there is some important work to be done first.

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Edited by Adrian Dorney
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