Alex Rodriguez recommends the Angels take an enormous swing — by buying and selling Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.
The former Yankees slugger believes moving both superstars would enable the Angels, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2014, to win a World Series inside 5 years.
“You try to get five or six players, load up with first rounders,” Rodriguez mentioned throughout Fox Sports’ protection of the All-Star festivities. “The next thing that you have to do is bring in a guy like [general manager] Theo Epstein, give him ownership, and let him run the shop. … I don’t think you have the time, but that would be the move.”
The daring suggestion caught the eye of his fellow Fox Sports panelists, together with ex-Yankees teammate Derek Jeter.
“So the first move is to trade Ohtani, and then Trout, then you sell the team, and then move you out of Anaheim, in that order,” Jeter replied, incomes amusing. “But everything you say makes sense. No one knows better than the [Los Angeles] Angels ownership and front office whether or not they have a chance to sign [Ohtani].”
Ohtani, 29, is about to turn into a free agent after the 2023 season, with many projecting him to obtain a contract exceeding $500 million. He leads Major League Baseball with 32 dwelling runs as a hitter and boasts a 3.32 ERA and 132 strikeouts in 100.1 innings as a pitcher.
Whether the Angels, who’re 45-46 this season, ought to commerce the 2021 AL MVP earlier than he hits the market stays a sizzling debate. On Monday, Ohtani expressed his rising need to win.
“Those feelings get stronger year by year,” Ohtani mentioned via an interpreter throughout his All-Star journey to Seattle. “It sucks to lose.”
The 31-year-old Trout, who’s a three-time MVP, is within the midst of a 12-year, $426 million contract that runs via 2030.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com