Shohei Ohtani is currently the most talked about free agency candidate in the MLB world. Notably, his contract ends after the ongoing regular season and the LA Angels phenom will be hitting the open market toward the end of the season. This has led to much speculation surrounding his future. Most recently, a renowned MLB insider shared a surprising update regarding his future with the Angels.

When talking about his current season, Ohtani has been on fire from both ends. But his pitching has been particularly impressive thus far. Despite his play, the Angels are in a difficult place at the moment. This latest update provides insight into Ohtani’s future with the Angels.

Jeff Passan says that the Angels need to stay competitive to keep Shohei Ohtani in Anaheim

In all likelihood, Shohei Ohtani is going to leave the Angels and sign for another team. Most recently, ESPN’s Jeff Passan shared a shocking update on the Ohtani situation. He said that if the Angels are not competing for a playoff berth this season, the two-way phenom may leave the Angels. Furthermore, he said that Ohtani will definitely leave if the Anaheim-based team is not competitive this year. Passan shared this update on the Get Up show. Get Up shared a clip of Passan’s latest update on Twitter.

Passan said, “There is one number that we need to be looking at when it comes to Shohei Ohtani’s future. And that is the Los Angeles Angels record. Because as long as the Angels are in contention, as long as the Angels have hope for a playoff spot, Shohei Ohtani is probably not going to be traded at the deadline this year. But if the Angels fall out of contention, and if you know, it’s just more of the same as it’s been over the last 5 years that he’s been there, he could be traded and he will definitely leave.” 

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The reactions to this news have been mixed. A majority of fans said that this was inevitable. But there were some fans that are saddened by this update.

Some fans said that Ohtani leaving is an inevitability and that there’s no chance of him staying.

Other fans predicted where he will sign and threw out several teams’ names.

Despite Ohtani’s hot start to the season, the Angels are unable to win games consistently. Recently, they lost a game despite an epic performance from the Japanese star. Most experts predict that Ohtani will leave the Angels and a few teams are favorites to sign him.

There are two clear favorites to sign Ohtani

Among the teams that might sign Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets are the clear favorites. That is because of their big market status and the rich owners. Furthermore, both teams are stacked with superstar talent and are likely to attract Ohtani’s interest.

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What do you think of Jeff Passan’s update on Shohei Ohtani? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!