MLB Rumors: Ohtani failed trade, Blue Jays extensions, Jackson Holliday

MLB Rumors: Angels passed up blockbuster Shohei Ohtani trade before deadline

With each passing day, the odds of Shohei Ohtani returning to the Los Angeles Angels seem to dwindle. Today, there are reports of him becoming more open to playing on the east coast. Even with long-term questions about his pitching arm, Ohtani is expected to command a historic contract due to his prolific plate presence and massive international fame.

The Angels kept Ohtani despite the well-documented risk of him leaving in free agency. At the time, Los Angeles was in the postseason hunt with a chance to finally deliver Ohtani to baseball's biggest stage. In classic Angels fashion, however, the season sputtered out of control in the final months and Ohtani is once again watching the playoffs from his couch.

Ohtani wants to win. The Angels can't reasonably claim to provide him the best opportunity to do so, even if there's value in the comfort of normalcy after six years with the franchise. If Ohtani does leave, it means the Angels will lose the greatest baseball player of a generation for nothing. That would be catastrophic.

So catastrophic, in fact, that the Angels may be feeling regret over not trading Ohtani when the opportunity was there. Especially with the hefty trade packages being offered.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Angels received a trade proposal from the Tampa Bay Rays featuring three of the team's top-10 prospects, including Junior Caminero — the No. 6 overall prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. That would have been a huge boost to the farm system for a potentially rebuilding franchise. Instead, the Angels stand prepared to watch Ohtani walk scot-free.

Hindsight is 20-20, but the Angels probably should have seen this coming...