The decision by the Los Angeles Angels not to trade Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani will define the franchise for years to come. Instead of cashing in on one of the game's most valuable players, the Angels gambled on a late playoff push. They now risk losing Ohtani for almost nothing in the offseason.It has been less than a week since the trade deadline and owner Arte Moreno may already be regretting his decision. The Angels have lost five straight games since August 1 and dropped to fourth in the American League West.Despite adding a handful of talented MLB players, the club is struggling to remain in the playoff picture.Talkin’ Baseball@TalkinBaseball_The Angels are now 56-56, haven't won a game since the trade deadline and are six games back of the wild card pic.twitter.com/oT8xLu5A3E6644272The Angels are now 56-56, haven't won a game since the trade deadline and are six games back of the wild card pic.twitter.com/oT8xLu5A3ELos Angeles currently trails the first-place Texas Rangers by 9.5 games and is six games out of the wild card. They face a difficult upcoming schedule with the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers next. At the rate things are going, the Angels are at risk of missing out on the postseason for a ninth straight season.MLB fans took to social media to discuss what looks to be a huge misstep by the Los Angeles Angels.Addison@YankeeWRLD@TalkinBaseball_ Not selling was such an awful awful decision8252@TalkinBaseball_ Not selling was such an awful awful decisionNathan Uetz@THE_NateDawg3Angels buying at the deadline instead of selling the best to ever play the game for a huge return may go down as one of the biggest blunders ever when they miss the playoffs and Ohtani walks for nothing twitter.com/talkinbaseball…Angels buying at the deadline instead of selling the best to ever play the game for a huge return may go down as one of the biggest blunders ever when they miss the playoffs and Ohtani walks for nothing twitter.com/talkinbaseball…ʏᴀsʜ@YashCoD@TalkinBaseball_ Angels are gonna let Ohtani walk for free 5751@TalkinBaseball_ Angels are gonna let Ohtani walk for free 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭mid🗣@MidLyfe@TalkinBaseball_ Ohtani and Trout don't deserve this man263@TalkinBaseball_ Ohtani and Trout don't deserve this manA♠️@acekingspades@TalkinBaseball_ 5.1% odds to make the playoffs.Doesn't look like a good decision to not trade Ohtani.3@TalkinBaseball_ 5.1% odds to make the playoffs.Doesn't look like a good decision to not trade Ohtani.ricky@ricky_184@TalkinBaseball_ they’re going to lose their prospect AND going to lose ohtanipoverty franchise22@TalkinBaseball_ they’re going to lose their prospect AND going to lose ohtani😭poverty franchisezach@zachleft@TalkinBaseball_ good thing they went all in49@TalkinBaseball_ good thing they went all inBryan@Bryan_Keeley1@TalkinBaseball_ Their schedule only gets harder lmao4@TalkinBaseball_ Their schedule only gets harder lmaoDrew@drew_astros47@TalkinBaseball_ Got fooled into buying2511@TalkinBaseball_ Got fooled into buyingAfter five years in Anaheim, Ohtani is set to become a free agent at the end of the season. The 29-year-old signed a one-year, $30 million deal with the Angels at the start of 2023 and will be free to test the market at the end of the season.Several teams are rumored to be interested in the two-way superstar, who is expected to fetch an MLB-record contract.The Los Angeles Angels will hope to re-sign Shohei Ohtani to a long-term deal in the offseasonLos Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) prepares to bat against the Seattle MarinersLosing Shohei Ohtani would be disastrous for a Los Angeles Angels franchise that has gone all-in this year. The club traded several top prospects in the hopes of competing for a championship.Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon are both on colossal contracts which could limit the club's ability to sign players in the offseason. Trout and Rendon will earn a combined salary of over $75 million next year.If Shohei Ohtani does decide to move on from the Angels project, it is difficult to see the club building a team capable of challenging in 2024. The club's poor postseason record, lack of prospects and the hefty contracts on their payroll will make it difficult to attract top-tier talent.