Shohei Ohtani opens up about possible return to Angels

Shohei Ohtani is set to enter free agency after the MLB season and will likely earn a record-setting contract. Naturally, Ohtani’s talents have led to a lot of speculation about where he might end up. But is it possible that Ohtani will end up returning to the Los Angeles Angels?

After Friday’s game, he spoke about that.

Ohtani said that so far this season, his focus has just been on winning games. With that, he hasn’t thought about re-signing with the Angels or any other team that he might end up with.

“We’re in midseason, obviously,” he said, per Jeff Fletcher, SoCal News Group. “I’m just trying to focus on the season and block everything else out. I feel like we’re in a decent spot to make a playoff run and that’s all I’m really focused [on] at the moment.”

For baseball fans and analysts, it’s easy to speculate on Ohtani’s future, both regarding a possible trade deadline move and where he might sign in the offseason. But Ohtani has no real say in a potential trade and when free agency comes, the offers will come to him in droves.

It has been an uneven season for the Angels. But Friday night’s game was a reverse Tungsten Arm O’Doyle special. Ohtani did not pitch particularly well (especially for his lofty standards). Despite that, the team won. It was the fourth win in a row and fifth in six games for the Halos.

Los Angeles still has some obstacles to overcome and a bad week leading into the trade deadline could change everything. But right now, Ohtani is playing for a real postseason contender.

So, for the time being, there is no need to put the cart before the horse.

[Jeff Fletcher]