MLB rival, Angels differ on team's chances to re-sign Shohei Ohtani before free agency

It sounds like individuals around MLB believe the Los Angeles Angels won't sign two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani before he's eligible to hit free agency after this season. 

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported late Wednesday afternoon that "one rival estimated the Angels have a 'five percent chance' to lock up Ohtani long-term" before the end of the 2023 campaign. 

"Another called a deal before free agency flat out 'impossible,'" Heyman added. Heyman also pointed out that Angels owner Arte Moreno remains optimistic regarding Ohtani's future. 

"I’d like to say we have as good a chance as anybody," Moreno told Heyman about signing the 28-year-old. 

Ohtani earned American League Most Valuable Player honors for the 2021 season and then finished second in MVP voting behind New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge last fall. Along with posting a 15-9 pitching record with a 2.33 ERA and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings of work, Ohtani slashed .273/.356/.519 with 34 home runs and 95 RBI in 2022. 

Judge, who turns 31 years old in April, agreed to a nine-year, $360 million deal to return to the Yankees this past December. It's been said that Ohtani could receive a contract worth $500 million total if he hits the open market, but Heyman wrote on Wednesday that some estimates for that future agreement "have been even higher." 

Ohtani has routinely been linked with the New York Mets and big-spending owner Steve Cohen since at least last season. One rival told Heyman that "if Steve Cohen writes the check, it doesn’t matter" how much Moreno wishes to keep Ohtani.

While the situation could change if Ohtani's camp informs the Angels he has no intentions of sticking around, Moreno indicated to Heyman he isn't trading his most valuable asset anytime soon. 

"How do you get [back] a major league starting pitcher and Cy Young candidate, and obviously an MVP type?" Moreno said. "How do you trade for that? You can’t." 

Moreno isn't wrong, but that doesn't mean Angels fans would stomach losing Ohtani for nothing later this year.