Shohei Otani “disappointed” remark cleared up the misunderstanding of LAA. “That’s not what I meant.”
The LA Angels have cleared up misunderstanding over Shohei Otani “disappointed” remarks.
Last month, Ohtani publicly expressed disappointment with his team’s performance this season, which Perry Minasian, the head of the Angels, accepted as “no big deal.”
According to a report by Sports Illustrated (SI) on the 1st (Korea Standard Time), Minasian, the head of the group, said, “I don’t think Otani’s remarks are that important. “I would have been disappointed if Otani had said it was a really good season,” he said. “It wasn’t a very surprising statement. Otani is a winner in his field. So it must have been very disappointing for him that we didn’t win this year. That’s how it should be interpreted. “I can say that because it’s Otani,” he explained.
“It was a satisfactory season for me personally, but it was a bad season for the Angels,” Otani said in an interview with Japanese media after arriving at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on October 18, adding, “Compared to last year, August and September felt particularly long.” We couldn’t play as well as we wanted. He also lost 14 consecutive games. “I have a really bad impression of the team this season,” he said.
However, Otani said in a recent interview that he revealed at the airport, “This season (the team) was overall better than last year. But I wanted to play in the playoffs. That’s the starting point of my thinking. Unfortunately, it wasn’t like that this year, but I hope it will be like that next year,” he explained.
Minashian also understood Otani’s remarks in the same vein.
Despite the strong performances of Onati and Mike Trout, the Angels were eliminated from the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, finishing third in the American League West with 73 wins and 89 losses. Otani has never played fall baseball in five years since joining the Angels in 2018.
For this reason, it is predicted that the Angels will be able to trade Otani this offseason or next summer. Minasian, the head of the group, said, “We are not trading Otani” this winter, but it is not known how the market situation will change.
Shohei Otani renewed his contract early with an annual salary of $30 million next year. The Angels plan to offer Otani an extension, but it cannot be done immediately. The Angels are now looking for a new owner. Otani’s future can only be determined when the team’s sale is over.
Meanwhile, the Angels are making all-out efforts to strengthen their power this offseason. He recruited FA left-hander Tyler Anderson as a second starter, and brought Minnesota Twins third baseman Gio Urshela and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Hunter Renfro through a trade. But the Angels’ off-season is still ongoing.
Minasian said, “We will continue to improve our power. There are definitely positions that need reinforcement. It’s rotation, bullpen and infield. “There will be opportunities in the external market and we will explore,” he said.