Insider explains why Angels won't trade Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Angels won't play another home game before the Aug. 1 trade deadline, meaning Shohei Ohtani may have already had his farewell in front of Halo fans. 

However, Bob Nightengale of USA Today explained why Ohtani would remain in an Angels uniform for the rest of the 2023 campaign at least. 

Ohtani's undeniable talent aside, Nightengale says dollar signs will be the main reason why the two-way phenom won't be heading anywhere at the deadline. 

"The Angels earn about $20M annually, excluding ticket sales, from Ohtani," Nightengale said. "Check out those suites behind home plate at Angel Stadium, including the one that powerful agent Scott Boras and his staff used to occupy. Well, they are now covered by Japanese advertising signage at the tune of $8M."

Not only would the Angels likely lose out on overseas money by trading Ohtani, but Nightengale believes it would lead to a predictable trickle-down effect, impacting ticket sales and possibly the future of Mike Trout, who could request a trade without the Japanese superstar in tow. 

The Angels' spot in the standings is also complicating matters. Following a 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Angels remain eight games back of the Texas Rangers (59-41) for first in the American League West and trail the Minnesota Twins (53-48) by four games for the final wildcard berth. 

Though, if Ohtani did play his final game at Angels Stadium on Sunday, he went out with a bang, tallying his league-leading 36th homer run in the first inning.