Deciding On Sho-time

By Mike Rifkin

During Monday’s loss to the Padres, Angels All-Star Mike Trout got hit by a pitch and left the game. On Tuesday, the Angels announced Trout had broken the left hamate bone in his wrist and is unsure if he will need surgery. Trout has been a big part of the Angels’ surprising first half. Trout has 18 home runs and 44 RBI with a slash line of .263/.369/.493. The Angels currently have a record of 45-43 and are seven games out of first place in the AL West and four games back of the last Wild Card spot in the American League. 

The Trout injury has more implications than what occurs on the field. Shohei Ohtani is a free agent after the season, and the Angels cannot afford to lose him, especially for nothing. Ohtani leads the Angels in basically every statistic, leads all of baseball in home runs, and is third in baseball in strikeouts (pitching). Ohtani is right now the favorite to win the AL MVP, and no executive wants to be known as the guy who traded Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is the best player in the game; how great he is as both a pitcher and hitter, and it’s something we’ve never witnessed, and the game hasn’t witnessed since Babe Ruth. 

If the Angels falter in the absence of Trout, they have to consider trading Ohtani at the trade deadline because you cannot let him get to free agency. Now if the Angels survive the Trout injury and find themselves in the race at the deadline, they have to do what is best for them to make the playoffs, which would mean keeping Ohtani and adding other pieces. Ohtani’s agent said before the season that his client deserved to explore free agency. 

Now, a lot of this decision is determined by how the Angels perform in the absence of Mike Trout, but regardless of Trout’s injury, the Angels have a massive decision to make. If Ohtani will not sign an extension and the Angels fall out of the playoff race, they have to consider moving Ohtani because they can’t lose him for just a draft pick. Either way, the lights are bright from now until the trade deadline, and everyone will wait to see what happens to the Sho.