MLB analyst fails to see justification for Shohei Ohtani trade even with Angels in standings freefall

During the month of June, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels came the closest to a playoff position that they have in a very long time. Now, however, it seems that the team has reverted to old ways.

As the first half of the season drew to a close, things got ugly for the Los Angeles Angels. After being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in a two-game series after being outscored 21-9, the team is also below .500 for the first time since April.

While the team's apparent implosion has been a tragedy for Angels fans, few can view it as a surprise. Known league-wide as perrennial chokers, the Angels have not made the postseason since 2014, and have not garnered a playoff win since 2009.

"Ken Rosenthal discussing why it’s EXTREMELY unlikely that the Angels trade Shohei Ohtani: 'It’s pretty simple. Arte Moreno does not want to be the owner responsible for trading the best player of all time.'" - Ben Verlander

However, the team's performance will have massive ramifications for Shohei Ohtani. The 28-year-old two-way phenom's one-year contract with the Angels will expire at the end of the season. Ohtani, the first player to hit at least 100 RBIs while striking out 100 or more batters, is expected to gain offers in excess of $500 million.

Alleged penny-pinching by Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno has been blamed for the team's inability to pin Ohtani down long-term. Moreno, the oldest owner in the MLB, may be spread to thin, as he will need to pay the remainder of Mike Trout's mega, $426.5 million deal before 2031.

While Shohei Ohtani has said that he intends to leave if the Angels cannot win, some think that the team could trade Ohtani before the deadline so as to retain some value from the stud. However, in a recent piece for the New York Post, writer Jon Heyman advised such a deal would be hard to fathom, saying:

"Logic says Ohtani has to go, but trading arguably the greatest player ever goes beyond an analytic calculation"

While nobody knows Ohtani's ultimate destination, the Los Angeles Dodgers have been floated as a highly possible destination. On account of their 45-46 record, the Angels now sit behind the Seattle Mariners, five games out of the third and final AL Wild Card spot, a gap that will be hard to make up if they do not play at the top of their game in the season's second half.

Shohei Ohtani has become baseball's ultimate dilemma

While it may actually be in the Angels' interest to trade Ohtani, Arte Moreno knows the kind of bad optics such a move could invite. However, the truth remains that Ohtani will inevitably leave the Angels sooner or later, and obtaining some value from the best player in history should be a top priority for Moreno and his team.