Before Shohei Ohtani became a historic two-way force for the Los Angeles Dodgers — delivering an MVP season, 50-50 stat line, and a World Series title — he was the biggest star the Los Angeles Angels had in decades. And now, in retrospect, he’s also the greatest asset they ever let walk out the door for nothing.
The story of how the Angels landed Ohtani is one of fortune. After his stint with Japan’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, they lucked into signing the phenom in 2017. They had six years to build around him, extend him, or trade him. Instead, they did none of the above. In 2024, after failing to reach the playoffs even once during Ohtani’s tenure, they watched the generational talent depart in free agency—replacing him, symbolically, with journeyman Willie Calhoun—and lost a franchise-record 99 games.
A Failure on All Fronts
“The Angels had Shohei Ohtani. They had him for six years, and yet they never capitalized in the way that the Dodgers have,” said The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Foul Territory. “One, their failure to capitalize economically… bringing in sponsorships, bringing in fans. They had every opportunity. Didn’t take advantage of that.”
Rosenthal didn’t stop there.
“Then, they had every opportunity to trade Ohtani, and they didn’t do that. Jackson Merrill was at one point part of the talks between the Padres and Angels when they were discussing Ohtani. This was in ‘22. Padres at that time couldn’t get Ohtani, so they pivoted to Soto.”
Had the Angels pursued that deal with San Diego, the return could have changed the franchise’s trajectory. Merrill — now 22 years old — made the All-Star team, won a Silver Slugger, earned Second-Team All-MLB honors in his rookie season, and just signed a nine-year, $135 million extension. He’s now a franchise cornerstone alongside Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.
To make matters more painful, the Padres’ eventual trade for Juan Soto — executed after talks with the Angels stalled — netted the Nationals a haul that included outfielder James Wood, shortstop C.J. Abrams, pitcher MacKenzie Gore, and more. Wood is seen as a future superstar, Abrams has developed into an All-Star, and Gore is becoming Washington’s ace. As Rosenthal put it, “The packages likely would have been similar — this was Shohei Ohtani.”
An Avoidable Collapse And The Los Angeles Dodgers Capitalize
The reality is that the Angels didn’t trade Ohtani, didn’t build around him, and never truly went all-in on re-signing him either.
“The mere fact that they could have made that kind of deal for Ohtani, well, it just shows that they missed on an opportunity,” Rosenthal added. “If you were going to sign Ohtani, maybe you don’t trade him. But they didn’t sign Ohtani either. So in every step, every stage here, they fell short.”
And perhaps most damning of all: “They didn’t value him properly, didn’t see his place in the sport properly, and it all led to all this.”
The result? Ohtani took a 10-year, $700 million deal from the Dodgers, structured heavily with deferrals that made it more palatable than it looked on paper. In his first season in blue, he made history: 52 home runs, 51 stolen bases, his first National League MVP, and a long-coveted World Series ring.
A What-If That Won’t Go Away
What if the Angels had pulled the trigger in 2022 and accepted San Diego’s offer? Could they be anchored today by Jackson Merrill, Abrams, and Gore? Would they be rebuilding around a strong young core instead of trying to justify a bottom-of-the-standings finish with no face of the franchise?
Instead, Angels fans are left with nothing but regret. The Dodgers didn’t give up a single prospect to get the best player in baseball. The Padres missed their shot. And the Angels, who had all the leverage in the world, botched every phase of Ohtani’s tenure.
Sometimes, the worst mistakes aren’t the ones you make — they’re the ones you never act on.