2 reasons the Angels will be trade deadline buyers, 2 to make them sellers

Heading into the 2023 season, it felt like the Los Angeles Angels were going to obviously be trade deadline buyers. Despite the long playoff drought, this felt like the year the Angels would at least be competitive enough to try and add to their roster and attempt to entice Shohei Ohtani to stick around for the long haul.

This season has seen the Angels land somewhere in between. They've stuck at or a couple games over .500 for most of the season. We've seen so many games which the Angels have thrown away whether it's because of their defense, poor base running, a bad bullpen, or just poor fundamentals.

It feels like if the Angels add to this team they're capable of making a run if they can play mistake-free baseball, but we haven't seen any evidence that they're even able to do that.

Two reasons stick out the most as to why the Angels will be trade deadline buyers. Another pair point toward a potential status as trade deadline sellers.

LA Angels will be trade deadline buyers because Arte Moreno wants to do whatever it takes to keep Shohei Ohtani

The Angels have two legitimate options in my eyes. One, go all in. Trade prospects and try to win right now with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. The other option is to trade Ohtani and other expiring contracts for more young pieces. The one thing they cannot do is do nothing. Don't keep Ohtani just to go halfway in.

I tend to lean towards trading Shohei Ohtani but with Arte Moreno in charge, it feels like that's beyond a longshot. As long as the Angels are relevant by the deadline, it feels like Ohtani will be here.

It's no secret that Ohtani is the most valuable asset in baseball. He's not only the best player, but he's also the most marketable by far. Trading Ohtani means a massive dip in tickets purchased and team revenue. Trading Ohtani would mean Moreno taking a massive hit towards his bottom line.

I personally couldn't care less about how much Moreno profits off of the Angels, but we all know that he cares. He has proven that making money has always been his top priority. He simply will not make money this season if he trades Ohtani, and he's too near-sighted to see the benefits that come with trading him.

Moreno will want Ohtani around for his checkbook. He'll add to this team and try to win before Ohtani likely dashes for another destination this offseason.