“I’ve had many conversations with Ohtani… but I’ve never seen such an expression.”
On June 8 last year (Korean time),스포츠토토 manager Joe Madden, who was pushed out of the Los Angeles Angels manager’s position, predicted the move of Shohei Ohtani (Angels). His prediction is that the chances of him staying with the Angels are slim. He said that the bright expression he showed in the WBC (World Baseball Classic) final showed how much Ohtani was eager to win.
Coach Madden appeared on a podcast by reporter Jason Stark of The Athletic, an American sports media outlet, looking back at the WBC final and said, “I’ve never seen Ohtani play baseball so much fun. I’ve never seen his face before,” he said.
At the same time, he predicted that he would select a team that is close to winning the World Series, saying, “More than anything else, Ohtani will move to a team that he believes has a chance to win. That could be important.”
Ohtani has never made the playoffs since joining the Angels in 2018. Even Mike Trout’s 2014 Division Series is his first and last. In the meantime, the Angels have been weak even with a 50% win rate. This year, it has a 12-12 win rate by the 26th, recording a 50% win rate, but it is only 3rd in the American League West, behind the Texas Rangers (14-9, 0.609 odds) and the Houston Astros (13-11, 0.542).
Based on his personal opinion, Madden speculated that Ohtani would not prefer a club in the Western Division. He said, “At first, he may have preferred the western region because he was unfamiliar with life in the United States. But now he has adapted to the United States. He has captured the hearts of almost everyone in the United States. Ohtani can go anywhere to play baseball. Canada ( Toronto) can go. A lot of teams will want him.”
Perhaps he saw the possibility of a transfer before the end of this season. “It’s not very likely he’ll stay with the Angels,” Madden said. “If we lose playoff contention, we should trade Ohtani before the trade deadline comes.”