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Shohei Ohtani might have won the American League’s Most Valuable Player award on Sunday, with seven dominant innings against a visiting Seattle Mariners team still battling for a playoff berth.
But his Los Angeles Angels ultimately lost for the 82nd time in 2021, solidifying something else: a sixth straight season of losses in Anaheim, Calif.
Four of them came with Ohtani on the team, the latest of which came as he was navigating arguably the most impressive season in baseball history. After Sunday’s 5-1 loss, Ohtani – ineligible for free agency until after the 2023 season – was asked if he wanted to stay with the Angels long-term.
“I really like the team,” Ohtani said through his interpreter, adding that he had not spoken with the organization about a possible extension. “I love the fans, I love the atmosphere of the team, but more than that I want to win. It’s the most important thing for me. I’m going to stop there.”
Ohtani’s comments came a day after Mike Trout, who has not played since May due to a calf injury, expressed the urgency of his desire to strengthen the roster, saying in part: “This the offseason is going to be important. We have a lot of money to spend. ” Earlier in the week, Angels manager Joe Maddon expressed similar and more acute frustration.
“This can’t go on,” Maddon told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s game. “We can’t be in this position every year. This organization is better than that. We deserve better than that. We have to go out and earn it.”
Angels got minimal production of the high-priced trout from Anthony Rendon and Justin Upton in 2021 – not to mention Albert Pujols, who was released before the end of May – but the lack of quality pitching continues to show up. ‘be a major problem.
Ohtani, at least, has made significant contributions on both sides. He pitched seven one-run innings against the Mariners, striking out 10 batters and walking none to lower his ERA to 3.18 and increase his strikeout total to 156. Offensively, Ohtani – with two triples on Saturday and 11 walks from the previous three games – beats .258 / .371 / .595 with 45 homers and 24 stolen goals. His 7.9 FanGraphs are gaining above the replacement at the top of the majors.
And yet, despite unprecedented contributions, the Angels rank 17th in points per game and 22nd in ERA.
“If nothing changes in the team,” said Ohtani, “I think it’s going to be really tough to be in the playoff contention.”
The Angels will have Pujols’ contract off the books this offseason, but they will pay Trout, Rendon and Upton a total of $ 99.45 million in 2022. (Upton will then be in the final year of his contract.) a need at shortstop, but more importantly people across the sport have said they need to revamp their field and add two front row starting pitchers if they really want to fight.
Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, Robbie Ray and Noah Syndergaard are among the free agent starting pitchers that will be available soon. The Angels could also use Jo Adell or Brandon Marsh for pitching help, but the two young outfielders struggled in the big leagues.
The Angels were one of the most successful baseball franchises in the 2000s, but they’ve only made the playoffs once in the past 12 years – despite the fact that Trout, arguably the best player ever of the game, during the vast majority of this period.
“It’s very frustrating, very disappointing,” Ohtani said of missing the playoffs. “I always look forward to being in the playoff race at the end and trying to talk about the playoffs with my teammates. I always think about it, so, yeah, it’s disappointing.”
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