Angels' biggest Shohei Ohtani regret was always painfully obvious

Leave it up to the Los Angeles Angels to squander Hall of Famers' careers and overpay for players who exist to wake up and get hurt. They have made it to the AL postseason once in Mike Trout's entire career, and he is about to turn 33. Not even one time could they get their stuff together to get Shohei Ohtani into the postseason. Now across town, Ohtani could bat right-handed and make it in.

So when Jon Heyman of the New York Post mentioned the Angels believed they could have convinced Ohtani to stay simply by giving him the $700 million, 97 percent deferred offer, bless your heart, Halos. They should have done what was so beyond painfully obvious last year. When it became apparent they were not going to make the postseason, again, they should have traded him.

We have gotten to the point where selling false hope to the fans of the second team in town just isn't good enough anymore. The Rally Monkey changed our lives 22 years ago. I remember, because my life did change after that precious little primate prevented glass-armed Barry Bonds from ever winning a World Series. Between Sid Bream sliding and that one Rally Monkey, the Angels made sure he was a loser.

But who's laughing now? Not Bonds, not me, and certainly not the Angels. They are a sad bag of crap.

Los Angeles Angels should have traded Shohei Ohtani last MLB season

There was really no way the Angels were going to pay Ohtani what he wanted. They already paid Trout more than $35 million to be Mickey Mantle with no personality, as well as a similar amount to Anthony Rendon to wake up, get hurt and not love baseball. A lot of people hate their jobs, but nobody does it quite like Rendon. I bet Angels fans can't wait for him to be Rendone with baseball. Highway robbery.

As far as who the Angels' general manager Perry Minasian could have traded Ohtani to, how about any of the other 29 franchises? The Los Angeles Dodgers would have absolutely given up both of their kidneys to get Ohtani to travel 40-something miles north to play for the Boys in Blue a half season ahead of time. He may have played in October, but they still would not have won the World Series...

While I enjoy being petty and poking fun at dysfunctional franchises, such as the Angels, this is what happens when you fail to learn your lessons. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. It has been a decade of complete irrelevance in the AL West. Ohtani came to America to be a champion, but was sold a bill of goods by a team once owned by a singing cowboy.

Every so often, there's a Herschel Walker trade to be had. We had the Deshaun Watson trade only a few years ago. Before that, we had the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce trade. These are the type of moves where you absolutely fleece the team trading for your stars. The Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and Boston Celtics all reaped the benefits of other worse-run franchises being so incredibly dumb.

For half a season of Ohtani, the Angels could have gotten three future Cy Young winners and a one-time Silver Slugger winner at shortstop for the best thing to happen to baseball since Babe Ruth. Then again, the Boston Red Sox once traded Babe Ruth, and that led to 86 years of hell. There is no return from 86, but the Angels are feeling 22 years away from having done much of anything either.

I did the math—22 is more than a quarter away from being 86. I can't wait for 2088 because I'll be dead.