The Los Angeles Angels could've had one of the most talented bats in the league, but the team reportedly decided not to accept the trade offer.
To put it bluntly, things are not going well for the Los Angeles Angels.
Entering Friday, the club has the worst record in Major League Baseball at 17-34, with no expectations to turn the season around. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Angels also claim the worst run differential in all of MLB at -68 and at the time of recording this week's episode, no other team has a worse run differential of -60.
Our hosts, Lucas and Bob, can only laugh at how bad this season has been and admit that there isn't much hope left for this team.
Just a week ago was MLB's Rivalry Weekend, where the Angels squared off against their in-city rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Things went as badly as you would've expected, as the team put up just three runs across three games, getting outscored in the three-game set by 31-3 en route to a sweep by the defending World Series Champions.
Like most fans, our hosts express how frustrating it's been being a fan of this team. Years and years of failing seasons despite having two of the greatest players of all time on the roster in outfielder Mike Trout and current Dodger Shohei Ohtani.
This leads to a discussion about what the team needs to do to find any amount of success, with Lucas questioning if there's any world where the Angels can actually turn things around.
Bob notes that the American League West isn't necessarily a competitive division this season, so the opportunity is right in front of Los Angeles-- but the Angels need to do a complete 180 to make any leap at challenging the rest of the division.
One solution to the Angels' woes would have been acquiring a batch of young stars, and news broke earlier this week that Los Angeles actually missed their window on this addition.
In the final year of his contract, multiple teams reportedly had offers on the table for Ohtani. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported that allegedly, the Tampa Bay Rays offered Junior Caminero. The San Diego Padres also allegedly offered outfielders Jackson Merrill and current Washington Nationals stars James Wood and shortstop CJ Abrams.
Although these are just rumors, it certainly seems that the Angels absolutely fumbled Ohtani's trade value and could have avoided this mess entirely if the team had sent the superstar off to San Diego or Tampa Bay.
Be sure to listen to the full podcast to hear some of the positive storylines to follow this season, as Bob and Peter end this weeks podcast on a positive note.
Lastly, join Roundtable's Angels site and be an active member of the community to voice your own opinions on the state of the team.
