Four weeks ago, the Los Angeles Angels' baseball operations department had come to a consensus: The team had reached an ideal window to trade Shohei Ohtani. The greatest two-way player in baseball history will be eligible for free agency in the fall of 2023, so some other teams communicated to the Angels that they would be open to trades -- and willing to include their very best prospects. The view around the industry was that the ensuing bidding might've netted a return that would be similar to what the Washington Nationals got for Juan Soto. Maybe more, because Ohtani would've filled lineup and rotation holes for two pennant races before his free agency.
In the end, though, despite his department's suggestion, general manager Perry Minasian didn't bother wasting everyone's time. Word quickly reached the interested parties that Arte Moreno, the Angels' owner, wouldn't sign off on any Ohtani deal. No one was surprised.
It was an example of Moreno single-handedly steering his team, again -- and probably in the wrong direction, again. And maybe for the last time, because the Angels announced Tuesday afternoon that Moreno is open to offers to sell the team, including a statement from the owner that read, "Now is the time."
