TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Los Angeles Angels will probably spend most of these next nine months doing everything they can to convince Shohei Ohtani he should remain with them long-term -- and Mike Trout plans to help.
"I'm going to do whatever I can to keep Shohei here," Trout said Wednesday morning, moments before the Angels' first workout of the spring.
The start of spring training also marks the beginning of Ohtani's final season before possibly becoming one of the most sought-after free agents in baseball history. By the time he hits free agency in November, he'll be a 29-year-old two-way star, offering prospective suitors an unprecedented skill set. The industry expectation is that he'll command the largest contract in baseball history, reaching and perhaps exceeding $500 million.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets figure to be at the forefront of the sweepstakes, but the Angels believe they have a shot.
And they can point to Trout as an example.
It wasn't long ago that similar questions surrounded Trout about whether a transcendent star would be willing to remain with a franchise that hasn't won enough, and ultimately he signed two extensions to remain with the Angels because of his comfort level with both the organization and its location.
"The biggest thing is he's got to do what's right for him, and what he feels right," Trout said when asked what advice he'd give Ohtani for how to navigate this portion of his career. "That's all up to him. If he feels that staying in Anaheim is the right move, he should do that. And if he thinks otherwise, I'm going to do whatever I can to try to convince him to stay.
"He's got to really sit down and think about it. It's a big decision for him. It's probably the biggest one of his life. It's a difficult decision, because it's for him. If he does stay or if he -- I don't even like saying it -- if he leaves, it's going to be different for him. New atmosphere, new people, new teammates. Like I said, I'm going to do whatever I can to keep him here."
But the biggest sell, Trout admitted, would be the Angels convincing him that they can win around him. The Angels have made only one postseason appearance over the past 13 years and haven't finished with a winning record since 2015.
In an effort to correct that, the Angels made several moves to essentially address the middle of their roster, adding Hunter Renfroe, Brandon Drury, Gio Urshela, Tyler Anderson and Carlos Estevez while placing the payroll above $200 million. Trout, perpetually optimistic, said the Angels are "definitely a lot better than we were last year." But they also reside in the same division as the defending champion Houston Astros, with the Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers also acting as major threats.
If the Angels hope to keep Ohtani, they'll probably have to overcome all of that.
"That's another reason to get that winning and get to the playoffs," Trout said. "That'll make a difference, for sure. It'll definitely put it in the back of Shohei's mind that we're here to compete."