Regret emerges at trade deadline after Angels bungled Shohei Ohtani situation

Hindsight is always 20/20, so it's a bit unfair to be overly critical of the Los Angeles Angels' trade deadline strategy from a year ago. Having an inkling that 2023 would be Shohei Ohtani's final season in Anaheim, the Angels made some midseason acquisitions in an effort to contend for a spot in the playoffs.

Those efforts turned out to be rather fruitless, and a number of the Halos' trade acquisitions were placed on waivers prior to September. Ohtani himself endured an elbow injury in July and was placed on the IL to close out his time with the Angels. The AL MVP then signed a deal during the offseason with the Angels' bitter in-state rival.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post recently reported that many people within the Angels' organization believe that Ohtani would have re-signed had Anaheim matched the $700 million deal the two-way superstar signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the upcoming trade deadline is a stark reminder of what could have been if they decided to deal Ohtani last July.

The LA Angels should have dealt Shohei Ohtani at last year's MLB trade deadline

In addition to Heyman's assertion that Ohtani may have re-signed if Arte Moreno would have opened up his wallet this past winter, the MLB insider also hints that there is some regret within the organization following the unwillingness to trade Ohtani last summer. Heyman cites the fact that there was little optimism that Moreno would go for broke in an effort to re-sign Ohtani with Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon already on the books for a combined $70 million this season.

Knowing that Moreno was unlikely to dole out the largest contract in major league history, it's clear now that if LA had pivoted last July and decided to trade Ohtani rather than hold onto him, their future would be much brighter at the moment.

What could the Halos have received in return for two-plus months of Ohtani? We'll never know, but it certainly would've jumpstarted the Angels' rebuild. As it stands now, LA still has Trout and Rendon on the payroll through at least 2026. With those two gargantuan contracts, a lack of patience developing young prospects, and no real budding talent down on the farm, the Angels are a franchise that's stuck in neutral.

The Angels are doomed to repeat their same mistakes at this year's MLB trade deadline

The Angels' front office seems to have learned nothing from last year's failure at the MLB trade deadline, as most observers believe LA will only deal players who'll be free agents this winter. With the Angels out of contention, more players than just Brandon Drury, Luis Garcia, and Carlos Esteves should be made available before the deadline.

In a seller's market, the Angels are sitting on some coveted assets (Luis Rengifo, Taylor Ward and Tyler Anderson), and should maximize their value in order to help restock the team's beleaguered farm system. Failing to part with their best trade chips during a lost season will only compound the mistake LA made last summer.

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