Is it premature to say that the Angels won the off-season? Probably not. They’ve landed Shohei Ohtani, the prize of the winter, with a deal that underpays him by at least $150 million.
Ohtani’s decision instantly makes the Angels one of baseball’s must-watch teams. The combination of Ohtani, Mike Trout and Andrelton Simmons will be tough to beat for entertainment value, but Angels GM Billy Eppler still has work to do before opening day.
The ripple effects of Ohtani’s decision extended across MLB Friday. These teams and players were among those most impacted by the decision…
Angels instantly become contenders
The Angels were fringe contenders last year, when they battled the Twins for the second wild-card spot before finishing with an 80-82 record. After adding Ohtani they’re arguably the American League’s fifth-best team, behind New York, Boston, Cleveland and Houston. Their lineup will often feature Trout, Ohtani and Justin Upton. Their rotation will now include a frontline starter.
And depending on what Eppler does next, the Angels could get even better. Their rotation, still a weak spot on paper, would look much better with Yu Darvish or Jake Arrieta. Even if they don’t make another splashy addition, they could at least make depth moves to strengthen the margins of a roster that had its share of shortcomings in 2017.
The Angels have only made the playoffs once during Trout’s seven-year career, and if that doesn’t change next year, 2018 will likely be considered a disappointment in Anaheim.
Great news for Trout
Mike Trout benefits from the Ohtani signing in at least two ways. Most importantly, he gets the chance to build a playoff legacy. So far he has played just three post-season games, with one hit (a homer) in 12 at bats. With Ohtani on the roster, Trout’s chances of winning in October improve considerably.
Assuming the Angels are a much improved team, we’ll also see Trout’s MVP chances rise. MVP voters showed this year that they’re willing to credit players on losing teams, as Giancarlo Stanton and Joey Votto finished 1-2 in the NL voting, but it still never hurts to play for a winner.
NL finalists must find upgrades elsewhere
The Dodgers, Giants, Padres and Cubs all came close to landing Ohtani, but they must now re-direct their respective efforts elsewhere. The Dodgers and Giants are both in the mix for Stanton, while the Padres are reportedly courting Eric Hosmer. As for the Cubs, their search for starting pitching continues, even after locking Tyler Chatwood up for three years and $38 million.
Mariners, Rangers must now face Ohtani
Those NL finalists have reason to be disappointed, but not nearly as much as the Mariners and Rangers. Both Seattle and Texas were finalists for Ohtani, but they now have to face him up to 18 or 19 times per season. That would sting under any circumstances, but considering that those three teams were separated by just 2.0 games in the standings last year, it must be especially frustrating for GMs Jerry Dipoto and Jon Daniels.
NL West contenders can breathe easy
Three of the seven finalists played in the NL West, so the Rockies and Diamondbacks were likely bracing themselves for the possibility that they’d have to face the two-way star routinely. Instead, Colorado and Arizona have an easier path back to the playoffs in 2018 — at least for now.
Along those lines, NL Central contenders must be relieved that the Cubs didn’t add to their already-impressive collection of controllable young talent.
Clarity for Darvish and Arrieta
As long as Ohtani remained unsigned, the markets for Darvish and Arrieta could only develop so much. They can now entertain offers in earnest with all of their potential suitors still in need of frontline arms. In other words, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the pace of off-season activity soon picks up considerably.
[relatedlinks]
