Shohei Ohtani and the L.A. Angels arrive in Toronto, ready to advance in the playoffs

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– Published: Jul 27, 2023

– Last updated: 24 minutes ago

– Read time: 5 minutes

– Los Angeles Angels’ Luis Rengifo celebrates with Shohei Ohtani after they scored against the Detroit Tigers.(Getty Images)

As the rumours began to swirl and as baseball’s trade deadline inches ever so closer, the teams being linked to Shohei Ohtani grew daily.

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Even the Blue Jays were somehow linked to the sport’s marquee player.

In reality, the Jays didn’t have the farm depth required and nor did it seem they had the appetite to part ways with their major-league talent to even sway the Halos from pulling off a deal to land Ohtani.

The Angels found themselves in this awkward position of having a player such as Ohtani and knowing he could walk away for nothing this winter in free agency when the bidding war will reach levels the sport has never seen and will likely never see again.

In return, all L.A.would receive is a compensatory draft pick for a player who has been dominant in the dual role of pitcher and hitter like no other since the days of the Great Bambino.

Halos owner Arte Moreno quashed all rumours this week, with the team going all in by swinging a deal with the Chicago White Sox that netted right-hander Lucas Giolito.

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Whether L.A.’s bold stroke pays off with the franchise’s first post-season appearance since 2014 is anyone’s guess.

On many trade boards in anticipation of next Tuesday’s deadline, Giolito was the No.2-ranked player.Sitting at No.1 was Ohtani.

The Angels aren’t done and will soon see the return of Mike Trout, who has been on the IL with a hand injury.Perhaps Ohtani will decide to leave the Angels for a team such as the Dodgers this winter, or perhaps the San Francisco Giants, maybe even the San Diego Padres.The suitors, needless to say, will be endless and the price tag to acquire his services will be astronomical.

Depending on how successful the Angels are to close out the season and maybe even contend for a playoff berth will go a long way in trying to retain Ohtani.

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Like any owner, Moreno wants to win, even though the Angels have not had a winning record since 2015.He has spent money, as it turns out unwisely, on a team featuring two of the very best in Trout and Ohtani.

When Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth in 1918 to the Yankees for $100,000, the cash-strapped Frazee needed money to finance a musical.The curse of the Bambino hovered over the Red Sox for what seemed like an eternity.

The Angels could have traded Ohtani — some argue they should have — but it would seem unrealistic to receive any kind of package involving whatever amount of prospects and every-day players that would come close to what the Japanese sensation brings.This isn’t Juan Soto, after all, because Soto can’t pitch.

The haul the Padres sent out to acquire Soto hasn’t exactly panned out as San Diego, despite taking two of three in Toronto last weekend, remain on the outside of a playoff spot.

When he gathered with reporters covering the Angels last week, Ohtani said he wanted to go to the playoffs — “With this team,” he said.Adding Giolito certainly helps.

As fate would have it, the newly acquired starter is expected to make his debut with the Angels on Friday night when they come to Toronto for a three-game series.

Friday was supposed to be the night Ohtani took the ball, but things changed when a severe weather forecast in Detroit forced Wednesday’s game to be postponed, resulting in a double-header Thursday.According to Angels manager Phil Nevin, he wanted to avoid Ohtani having to hit in both games of the double dip, travel and then pitch Friday.The plan, according to the skipper, was to have Ohtani hit in both games Thursday.

Ohtani lived up to his spectacular billing in the first game, tossing a complete-game one-hitter while striking out eight Tigers for his ninth win of the season.Fans in Toronto who forked over big bucks to watch Ohtani pitch will be, justifiably, disappointed.There are no guarantees when a rotation is announced knowing pitchers are always denoted as “probable.”

A year ago when the Angels were at Rogers Centre, Ohtani and Alek Manoah found themselves in an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel.

At the end of the day, the Angels must do what’s best for them and only them.By pulling Ohtani off the trade market, the Angels are doing the right thing — even though there’s no sure thing he’ll be with the team in 2024.

They’re rolling the dice, in many ways, but the risk is well worth it if they do vault into the playoffs.There are no assurances, but to not go all-in would be foolish.

L.A.ends its regular season on Oct.

1 when it plays host to the Oakland A’s and, at least for the next two months, Ohtani will remain with the Angels.If the right moves are engineered before Tuesday, if Trout returns and is back to performing like a superstar, if the team’s under-achieving players step up, the Angels will be in the thick of things.Stranger things have been known to happen in baseball.

L.A.

sent two prospects to the White Sox to get its hands on Giolito and fellow righty Reynaldo Lopez.Like any other team, which includes the Blue Jays, additional pitching depth and a bat will always be welcome in the club house.

L.A.

Angels going for it with Shohei Ohtani, acquire pitchers Giolito, Lopez from White Sox.