Yes It's Official, Shohei Is Staying With Angels

For the last five and half seasons, the team right up the road has rostered the two best players in baseball. And not just the two best players in baseball, two of the best players to ever play the game. Including arguably the single BEST player to ever play the game.

In those five and half seasons, the team right up the road has managed a grand total of ZERO POINT ZERO playoff wins. And a grand total of ZERO POINT ZERO playoff appearances. Add a grand total of ZERO POINT ZERO seasons with even a .500 record.

Somehow, having two of the best players ever on the team at the same time has been a complete and total disaster for the Angels. A disaster AND... A failure.

You know how I know that there’s such a thing as FAILURE IN SPORTS? Angels. The Angels failing to even be competitive with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout on the team. If that isn't failure, I don't know what is.

The Angels couldn’t figure out how to win any games for the last five and half years until all of a sudden about a week ago, winning became losing. And as soon as winning became losing, the Halos all of sudden became a damned winning machine. 

They just ran off 6 out of 7 games to climb back over .500 and climb back to within 4 games of the last Wild Card spot. Which was enough to keep up the total pipe dream that a playoff run is still possible. And to pull the most valuable trade piece on the market, off the market. In other words, it was just enough to steer the team into another disaster... Not trading Shohei Ohtani.

Yes its official, Shohei is staying. At least for two more months. And let’s face it right now, we all know it’s only gonna be two more months.

Why would he stay a second longer than that? The team has never managed better than third place with him around. And even in this most desperate season, when they are doing absolutely everything they can to try to get this guy to stay, the absolute VERY best they can do is cling for dear life to a chase for the last wild card spot. 

Look I know exactly why Arte Moreno didn’t want to trade the dude. But he should have. Because we all know he isn’t staying. And even if he wanted to, and I can’t imagine why he would, is there any reason to believe Arte Moreno could actually win a bidding war for this guy. C’mon, get out here with that. So, they aren't winning bleep this year. And they really have not shot at re-signing him. And he’s going to bounce, then what are we even doing here? [DROP BRANDT]

Seriously though, what are they thinking? Are they really thinking they're gonna win a bidding war? Are they seriously thinking that given any options, Shohei would ever choose this option again? After being there six seasons with nothing to show for it.  The hell would he do that for?? 

The guy has said over and over and over and over again that he wants to win. He’s made that very clear. He basically hasn’t talked about anything else when it comes to what he wants. He hasn’t talked about east coast vs west coast or NL vs AL or anything like that.  OR MONEY. He’s just said, repeatedly, that he wants to win. Period.

And nobody with that priority is ever gonna pick the Angels. Period. It’s harsh, but it’s true. They had six years. They failed. Even if they somehow make up the four game wild card deficit and somehow snatch the last playoff spot… then what? Are they winning it all? Of course not. Is one miracle wild card appearance enough to convince the dude to stay? Of course not.

So, once again, what are we doing here? And why did the Angels announce it now as opposed to trying to get more leverage, create more of a market for him? Why not hear offers until the deadline, even if you know you really really don’t want to trade the dude? 

We all know you really really don’t want to trade the dude. And we all get why you really really don’t want to trade the dude. He’s the best player ever. He’s both the best asset on the field and the best asset for generating revenue in all of baseball. He is a legitimate global superstar. We all understand that you don’t want to trade the guy. But you need to. And at minimum, bare minimum, you need to pick up the phone and listen to offers all the way through next Tuesday’s deadline.

But that’s not what’s happening. The opposite is happening. Not only are the Angels not sellers, they're BUYERS. They went out and grabbed a top line starter in Lucas Giolito last night along with a bullpen arm in exchange for two prospects.  But not just two prospects, arguably their two best prospects. Because... They're going for it. What exactly IT is, I'm not really sure. But the Angels are definitely going for IT.

I guess you could say the Halos have decided to play it like Bon Jovi. The Halos are livin on a prayer. A prayer of somehow making the wild card. A prayer of somehow going on a magical playoff run. A prayer that somehow Shohei gets caught up in all of it and decides he wants to stay. A prayer that Arte can then somehow come up with enough money to outbid the Dodgers. A prayer that not just one of those things, but all of those things are about to happen over the next few months.

It brings me no joy to say this… none at all… but… all of those prayers are not getting answered. All of those things are not happening. Frankly I would be surprised if even a single one of those things happened.

We all know Shohei is counting down the days until his Big A nightmare comes to an end. We all know that this is the last two months of Ohtani in Anaheim. All of us except maybe Arte Moreno. But I think deep down, Arte knows too.

I also think Arte is gonna scoop up the gate receipts from the last 30 home games with the GOAT. And he’ll probably add a few more merch stalls around the park. And maybe jack up the ticket prices a little bit for the last few home stands. And then he’ll make the best offer to Shohei he can, shrug his shoulders, and say I TRIED!

And then he'll probably sell the team like he was already planning on doing before this season. What would even be the point of keeping it after Shohei leaves? It's never gonna get any better than that. And if you couldn't win with this dude, how are you ever gonna win WITHOUT HIM.

I know it sounds doom and gloom and it sounds really harsh and that's because it is. That's what happens when you have six years to win with two of the best players ever and you fail to even make the playoffs. This is how it's supposed to feel. It's supposed to suck. And the only way to make it any better was to save face and get what you could while you still could before the GOAT bolts for the door. And naturally, the Angels just failed at that too.