Angels can't be ruled out of Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes per MLB Insider

The thought of Shohei Ohtani remaining with the Los Angeles Angels is not one many take super seriously, and it's easy to see why. The team has failed to put together a winning season in each of the last eight years, six of which came with Shohei Ohtani in the organization. Despite having arguably the two best players in the game since Ohtani signed, the Angels haven't sniffed postseason contention.

What's worse is that even if Ohtani does stay, the Angels still would be on the outside looking in when it comes to predicting postseason teams. If Ohtani wants to win as badly as he says he does, the chances of him staying would appear non-existent when a team like the Dodgers is just as interested in signing him.

Despite the Angels seemingly being out of the running according to most MLB Insiders, Jon Heyman of MLB Network seems to think otherwise. He doesn't say that the Angels are going to land him or should be considered the favorites, but he does say they can't be ruled out.

Shohei Ohtani could remain with the LA Angels after all

Heyman refuses to rule out the Angels because he believes comfort matter to Ohtani. Based on everything we've seen from him so far, that's definitely believable.

Ohtani chose the Angels in part because of their situation. They're in a big market on the west coast but he's not hounded by the media the way he would be if he went to the Dodgers or Giants. Additionally, the Angels have given him the freedom, for better or for worse, to do everything he wants. Will other teams treat him the same way? Maybe, who knows.

Perhaps most importantly, Ohtani has recovered from Tommy John Surgery before with the Angels and has come back a better player. He knows he can be the best in Anaheim. While there's no reason to believe he wouldn't be able to recover perfectly fine elsewhere, there's definitely some sense of comfort having the same doctors and staff around helping him through this.

The chances Ohtani stays are still likely slim, but it's notable that Heyman won't rule the Angels out. Comfort is at least going to play a role, even if it isn't a deciding factor in Shohei's decision.