Ranking the Angels pending free agents by likelihood of them re-signing

3) Shohei Ohtani

This is the player everyone wants to see. The questions everyone wants to be answered are where will Shohei Ohtani end up and how much money will he make?

It feels more likely than not that Shohei Ohtani will depart for another team this offseason as the Angels have had eight straight losing seasons with no real end in sight. Ohtani above all seems to want to win, and I think he knows that this team has work to do before they can realistically say they're contenders.

While Ohtani might end up choosing to sign elsewhere, that doesn't mean the Angels have no shot at retaining him. I believe their chances are slim, but not none, for a couple of reasons.

First, I believe with his injury his price will go down enough to where the Angels can offer him a substantial contract and not be laughed out of the room. Would this contract be more than other bigger market teams like the Mets and Dodgers would offer? Probably not. It still should be enough to keep the Angels at the table.

Second, I believe Ohtani recognizes the role the Angels have played in his career. They're the team that has let him be himself. They're the team that has let him talk to the media only after his starts. They're the team that has let him dictate whether he plays or not. They let him make every decision for his career. I guarantee you he won't have this kind of autonomy everywhere.

Lastly, I do believe Ohtani wants to win here. He might consider it impossible at this point with Arte Moreno still around and the team showing no sign of improvement in 2023, but I do believe he loves this organization.

Ohtani ranks third on this list more because he's a player the Angels would actually want back. It's very possible the Angels don't even talk to the first four players on the list, and we all know they want Shohei back. As fun as it'd be, the chances are still quite slim.

Chances the LA Angels re-sign Shohei Ohtani: 2/10