The Rays made a strong push to sign Shohei Ohtani

In 2023, the Los Angeles Angels were heading for disaster. But despite everything, a few strong performances before the trade deadline were enough to convince management to make a move at the deadline.

And let's just say what followed wasn't exactly glorious. A string of losses led to a wave of waivers… and Shohei Ohtani was lost to free agency, signing with the Dodgers.

If the Angels had no intention of doing everything in their power to retain Shohei Ohtani's services, why didn't they trade him, then?

The reason certainly isn't because the club didn't have a big offer on the table.

Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic) wrote a piece on this very topic. And according to him, the Tampa Bay Rays pushed really hard to acquire the Japanese star, who was coming off a contract and would have contributed to the team's success.

The excellent Junior Caminero, who was still in the minors, and Carson Williams were the key pieces of the deal, which was actually bigger than that. But Arte Moreno, the controlling shareholder of the Angels, said no.

Shohei Ohtani, Tampa Bay Ray? The proposed 2023 deadline deal that would've shocked baseball. Unlocked and free to read. https://t.co/l5qdrJWbKw

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 21, 2026

Imagine if the Angels had Caminero right now. That would be a lot better, wouldn't it?

The Rays, in fact, can count themselves lucky that the trade fell through. After all, aside from Ohtani having worn the uniform, the club would have come out of it worse off.

Why? Because, after the trade deadline, Junior Caminero was arrested, because starting pitchers got injured, and because Shohei Ohtani had elbow surgery at the end of the season. Even if he could have potentially continued to bat, he certainly wouldn't have been able to pitch.

The Rays, who lost to the Rangers in the wild-card series, got off easy in the long run. But the same can't be said for the Angels, who are once again hitting a wall…

Created by humans, assisted by AI.