Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani held his first media session of the 2023 MLB season Thursday morning at the team's spring training facility in Tempe, Ariz.
Ohtani is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the season and was asked if he would be open to signing a contract extension with the Angels.
"This is my last year and I'm aware of that. As of now, I’m an Angel, and that’s what I want to focus on," the 2022 AL runner-up for MVP said through translator Ippei Mizuhara. "I haven't really thought too far ahead."
While Ohtani wouldn't share much about his future, he did say that the team is looking to win in 2023.
“I do firmly believe the Angels are on the same page as me,” he said. “They want to win as much as I do. I can’t tell you what they are really thinking, but I like to believe that.”
The team hasn't finished with a winning record in Ohtani's five years stateside, despite the 28-year-old having won the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year, the 2021 AL MVP and making two all-star teams.
The Angels also confirmed on Thursday that Ohtani will start his second-straight Opening Day when they take on the Oakland Athletics on March 30.
Before heading to Tokyo to join Team Japan for the World Baseball Classic, the two-way star is scheduled to start the Angels' March 1 spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
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