The Big Lead

Former Angels broadcaster who applied for GM job really wanted to trade Shohei Ohtani

By J.P. Hoornstra

May 10, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) is presented the MLB most valuable player trophy by owner Arte Moreno at Angel Stadium.
May 10, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) is presented the MLB most valuable player trophy by owner Arte Moreno at Angel Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Victor Rojas gained a national platform as a broadcaster on MLB Network when it launched in 2009, and a local following in Southern California as the Los Angeles Angels' color analyst on their regional Fox/Bally/FanDuel network from 2010 to 2021.

The son of former major league player and manager Cookie Rojas, Victor Rojas also applied for the Angels general manager's job that ultimately went to Perry Minasian.

Rojas, now the Assistant Head Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at NAIA Ottawa University, has not been shy about sharing his thoughts on the direction of the franchise under owner Arte Moreno. In a scathing interview with the Angels Win podcast in June, Rojas asked "what does it hurt to wipe the whiteboard down and start with something new, something fresh?”

Part of that "wipe the whiteboard down plan" under Rojas would have involved trading Shohei Ohtani while he was still with the team.

Tuesday, Rojas wrote on his Twitter/X account that Ohtani "should’ve been traded" and that the "house of cards was going to tumble regardless."

Rojas' comment came in response to the news that the Houston Astros had traded star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs a year before he was set to reach free agency. Ostensibly the Astros front office didn't like their chances of re-signing Tucker, who is likely to command an astronomical salary next year in light of the 15-year, $765 million contract Juan Soto signed with the New York Mets last week.

Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers in Dec. 2023 that deferred $680 million of salary until after the 2033 season. Moreno reportedly told Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, that he was not interested in participating in a bidding war early in the process of Ohtani's free agency — and again after being given a chance to compete with the Dodgers' offer of a contract whose present-day value came to $437.8 million in total, according to the MLB Players Association.

Among Angels fans, the counterfactuals have flown freely ever since. What if Moreno had matched the Dodgers' offer to Ohtani? (At least one Angels player believed Ohtani would have re-signed in Anaheim.) What if the Angels had hired Rojas as GM instead of Minasian? (Moreno still wouldn't have OK'd an Ohtani trade.) What if Moreno had sold the team after he first announced he was exploring a sale in Aug. 2022?

For now, all remain in the realm of hypotheticals.

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