Ohtani's desire to win 'not shocking at all'

ARLINGTON -- It came as no surprise to Angels general manager Perry Minasian and skipper Joe Maddon that winning is “the biggest thing” for Shohei Ohtani, which the two-way star echoed following his stellar performance against the Mariners on Sunday that ultimately resulted in a Halos loss.

Maddon took a similar stance, as did superstar Mike Trout on Saturday. Minasian said Ohtani’s view on winning won’t change the way he’ll operate this offseason, as the goal was always to try to right the ship after six straight losing seasons.

“It has no impact,” said Minasian. “I appreciate what they said. Mike and Sho want to win. And those aren’t the only two players who want to win. I think any player on any team would say the same thing. Nobody wants to play on a losing team. That’s something that I would expect everybody to say. It’s not shocking at all. So as for the winter, it doesn’t change anything."

Maddon added that Ohtani never indicated anything about leaving the Angels after 2023, noting how the AL MVP front-runner also mentioned how much he enjoys his teammates and fans. It’s also not unusual that the Angels have yet to engage Ohtani on an extension given that he's under team control for two more years. However, it’s something the Angels are expected to broach this offseason, much like they did with Trout’s 12-year extension in 2019, which came with two years left on his deal.

“We all feel the same way,” Maddon said. “We all to want win. And I think if anybody misconstrues that as though he wants to leave, that's trying to connect some dots that were not at all what he said. He was just addressing that he wants to win. We all want to get to the next level, and we see it as an absolute that it's going to happen here in the near future. So that's just him expressing himself.

“Don't just highlight the fact that he's saying he wants to win, which we all do. Don't forget all the platitudes he mentioned regarding everything else. People just want to connect the dots that he wants to leave, but that's not what I heard."

Minasian said he believes he’ll have the resources to make the necessary improvements over the offseason. Improving the pitching staff is obviously the top priority and Minasian said the budget shouldn’t be an issue given owner Arte Moreno’s desire to win.

"One thing I don't have to worry about with him is that he wants to win, too,” Minasian said of Moreno. “Nobody wants to win more than him. He's shown a commitment financially over the years, and I don't think anybody can argue that. He invests in this club, and so to me, the proof is in the pudding."