Shohei Ohtani is a free agent this winter, and he’s already cleared out of the Angels clubhouse.
Shohei Ohtani’s locker appears to be cleared out of most of his personal belongings, save for a few Angels shirts and his Seattle ASG duffle. Ohtani’s water bottle was even in the trash.
— Sarah Valenzuela (@Sarah_IsabelVee) September 16, 2023
The Angels declined to say anything about this tonight.
Ohtani has had a tremendous season, hitting .304 at the plate with a league-leading 44 home runs. As a pitcher, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, before the Angels shut him down after he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
He was still playing as a designated hitter until Sept. 3, when an oblique injury sent him to the bench. Now it appears that with 14 games remaining, Ohtani suddenly emptied his locker — even trashing his water bottle. The Angels had no comment, suggesting the move took them by surprise as well.
Ohtani's agent indicated that he may undergo elbow surgery, and promised that the 2021 AL MVP would be hitting in 2024. Emptying his locker could signal that he wants to get whatever medical procedure he requires over with as soon as possible.
#Angels Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, said that Ohtani is still looking at possible treatments. He said there will be some type of procedure but it may not be Tommy John surgery. He added that Ohtani will be ready to hit in 2024. #mlb #ohtani pic.twitter.com/ca3iG5TX1p
— claudia gestro (@claudiagestro) September 5, 2023
But such a dramatic gesture suggests unhappiness with the club, where Ohtani has played for six years, winning MVP and Rookie of the Year Awards but never making the playoffs. It could also be unhappiness with the medical staff.
One of the Angels' prized free agent acquisitions during the 2019 offseason, third baseman Anthony Rendon, revealed that the club had initially misdiagnosed his leg injury as a bone bruise when it was a fractured tibia.
Anthony Rendon revealed he is nursing a fractured tibia, which runs in contrast with the Angels' diagnosis of a deep bone bruise. A source said four doctors diagnosed a bone bruise; a fifth, more recent one, chosen by Rendon, came up with the fracture. https://t.co/9o1ZPJMfal
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) September 16, 2023
Ohtani has said he "wants to win" and it doesn't seem as though Anaheim is the place for that. Despite the presence of future Hall of Famer Mike Trout alongside Ohtani, the Angels are 68-80, almost certain to finish with a losing record for the eighth consecutive year.
The Angels still want to bring back the wildly popular Ohtani, but cleaning out his locker sends a strong signal that he's done. That's bad news for the Angels and good news for Ohtani's many suitors. If Los Angeles can't keep him in his locker, it's unlikely they can lock him up in free agency.
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