Shohei Ohtani is doing his best to shrug off trade rumors as baseball’s trade deadline looms.
The two-way sensation took the mound Friday night in what could be his last home start for the Angels if he’s dealt, but that barely occurred to him.
“That did not cross my mind at all,” Ohtani, speaking through his interpreter, said when asked if it could be his last home start at Angel Stadium. “Obviously, I’m part of the Angels at this moment. I feel like we’re in a decent spot to make a playoff run, so I just try not to really think about that.”
The Angels are reportedly in “listening mode” on Ohtani, who is the overwhelming favorite to win the American League MVP, though the franchise is still on the fence about moving one of the greatest players in baseball history.
Ohtani claimed Friday that he, too, doesn’t know what owner Arte Moreno and general manager Perry Minasian have in store for the trade deadline.
The Post’s Jon Heyman reported that Ohtani’s trade fate almost solely rests in the hands of Moreno.
Shohei Ohtani struck out nine hitters during his start Friday. Getty Images“I’ve never really had any talks like that,” Ohtani said when asked about potentially being traded out of Anaheim. “I see Perry maybe once a week in the clubhouse, and we’ve never really had any conversations.”
The 2021 AL MVP said he’s also yet to have talks on a contract extension with the Angels.
“I’ve never really had a sit-down talk like that,” Ohtani said. “We’re in midseason, obviously, and I’m just trying to focus on the season and sort of block everything else out. Like I said earlier, I feel like we’re in a decent spot to make a playoff run, and that’s all I’m really focused on at the moment.”
The Angels have won four straight games but sit at just 50-48 and are four games out of the third AL wild card spot.
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno could deal Ohtani, but there are still questions if a mega deal like this would happen. Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesOhtani could potentially garner the biggest contract in MLB history when he hits free agency this winter.
The 29-year-old two-way star is slashing .305/.400/.676 with a league-leading 35 home runs heading into play Saturday.
With a strong second half, Ohtani could break Aaron Judge’s AL record of 62 home runs.
On the mound, Ohtani has posted a 3.71 ERA across 19 starts with an AL-best 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
