SHOHEI OHTANI will still be in an Angels uniform in 2024 (Angels photo).

Aside from trotting around the bases on one of his frequent and prodigious home runs, Angels’ two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is not going anywhere.

No, The Big Sho is not a close personal friend of mine; we do not frequent the same karaoke bars. But it’s my conclusion that the future Hall of Famer is not leaving the Halos any time soon, this year or next.

Firstly there’s no way they are going to deal him to other MLB teams, especially to an American League squad which could use such a new acquisition to beat up on the Halos. The trade deadline, by the way, is August 1.

Secondly, the Angels want to sign Shohei for 2024 and thereafter, and there will be a better chance of retaining him as a free agent if he’s already in their clubhouse than playing for the Colorado Rockies.

Thirdly (is there such a term?), Ohtani is getting what he all along says he wants: “to play for a winning team.”  The recent string of eight wins in 10 games and taking three of four from the division-leading Texas Rangers underlines the growing feeling among fans and especially the players that the team is on the right path.

Fourthly, the bar here is relatively low, considering the long stretch of the Halos missing the post-season. As of this writing, the Angels are just one game back in the wild card race. They’d be doing much better if the AL East wasn’t stocked with strong teams like Tampa Bay, Baltimore and the Yankees, not to mention Toronto, one half-game behind the Halos.

And pull back the focus: if the Angels were in the AL Central, they’d be four games in first ahead of the Twins.

They are doing well at the box office, home (averaging 32,133) and away (30,533) and those numbers will rise in the second half of the season as the races heat up. 

Finally, this is home. I think he likes it here and feels comfortable. It’s a West Coast (nice weather; closest by plane to Japan) team with a big fan base … one that would revolt if Arte Moreno would let The Big Sho go without a major effort.

Remember the curse of the Bambino!  The fans of the guys in Anaheim with the red jerseys don’t want their team to suffer like the Red Sox did.