Shohei Ohtani’s agent mum on Angels star’s future: ‘There’s several layers to this’

TEMPE, Ariz. —  Shohei Ohtani’s agent, CAA’s Nez Balelo, stopped by Angels spring training on Monday and chatted with general manager Perry Minasian as the first day of full squad workouts continued.

He would not tell members of the media whether negotiations have been taking place, a policy of privacy he has with all of his clients.

He reiterated what Ohtani has said in his last two news conferences, that he’s an Angel in 2023.

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Whether he’s open to discussing a contract extension before spring training ends, Balelo said that as an agent, he is always open to discussions but every situation is different.

“I think there’s several layers to this one and Shohei’s earned the right to play through the year and explore free agency and we’ll see where it shakes out,” Balelo said.

Whether he’s open to having extension discussions during the season, Balelo said:

“It’s a fine line when you ask a player to go through something like that during the season. Typically that doesn’t happen, but I don’t have a crystal ball in front of me. I would just say that it’s tough to have a discussion that will be so meaningful during the season and probably makes more sense to table and wait till the end of the season.”

Whether Ohtani would be comfortable juggling negotiations while preparing for the season, Balelo said is a hypothetical scenario and reiterated privacy for his client.