The Los Angeles Angels had a chance to match the Los Angeles Dodgers' $700 million offer to Shohei Ohtani before the deal was agreed to last weekend. However, team owner Arte Moreno refused, a source briefed on the situation said Thursday.
Ohtani announced Saturday morning that he would be signing with the Dodgers, and the deal became official Monday.
The Los Angeles Times first reported the Angels' decision not to match the Dodgers' offer.
“The Angels are special for Shohei,” his agent Nez Balelo told reporters on Thursday. “He’s been there for the last six years. Everyone has to understand it. We felt like they earned the right to at least have a discussion at the end. And that's exactly what we did. Because again, it's a place where he really enjoyed playing. He loved the people there, everything.
“The Angels had every opportunity.”
The Angels did not respond to a request for comment.
Ohtani spent the first six years of his career in Anaheim, where he won two of the last three American League MVP awards.
It's not clear whether the two-way superstar would have accepted the Angels' offer had they taken on the Dodgers. It's also not clear what the Angels' final offer to Ohtani was.
The Angels had the opportunity to trade Ohtani during the last two trade deadlines and last offseason but declined. Instead, they traded minor league prospects in August and still finished 73-89 for the second straight year.
Although the Angels had hoped to let Ohtani retire, it is possible that Moreno did not value Ohtani as highly. During his media appearance in mid-March, Moreno seemingly downplayed Ohtani's abilities.
“He’s probably the most unique player,” Moreno said. “Probably one of the top five or ten players.”
When asked in that interview if he thought the Angels would make Ohtani a significant and competitive offer, Moreno said, “I think so,” adding that he would be willing to cross the luxury tax threshold.
The Dodgers are paying him as the best player in the game – not the top 10. He received the most expensive contract of all time. The Angels didn't want to make that commitment.
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(Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images)