It didn’t take long for the Angels to already begin moving on from Shohei Ohtani
Well that was fast.
The Los Angeles Angels were just one of many shocked teams that came to learn Shohei Ohtani was going to leave Anaheim. He wasn't going to go far. Ohtani had agreed to a ten-year deal worth $700 million to join their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With the Dodgers, Ohtani has a chance to earn more money than any other athlete in North American sports history, while also having the chance to compete each and every year. For Ohtani, a player that didn't make the playoffs a single time with the Angels, joining a contender has to feel good.
Ohtani got just about everything he could've wanted from his Dodgers deal, but he leaves his former team, the Angels, in the dust. The Angels now have to find a way to do what they never could do with Ohtani. Win. The Angels have officially accepted defeat by removing the large Shohei Ohtani mural that was in front of Angel Stadium.
LA Angels say goodbye to Shohei Ohtani as quickly as possible
Moving on like this can only be seen as a good thing. Sure, people will make fun and call them salty, but the Angels have to turn the page. As unfortunate as it is to say, the Ohtani era is over. It's time for this franchise to really get serious.
The Angels moving Ohtani's image from in front of the stadium was a no-brainer, but this team has to move on when it comes to transactions as well. Now that Shohei has made his decision, the Angels must be aggressive in trying to add as much talent as possible. Since Arte Moreno won't entertain a rebuild, that's the only way this team can possibly win.
Thanks for the memories, Shohei. You certainly won't be forgotten. But, for now, the Angels appear to have moved on.