NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As new Angels manager Ron Washington was finishing up his session with the media at the annual Winter Meetings on Monday, he was asked how much he’s been monitoring Shohei Ohtani’s free agency. 

Washington smiled and gave an interesting answer, which served as both a "no comment" and what could be a thinly veiled hint at Ohtani's thinking.  

“I don't have much to say about that yet,” Washington said. “Because I don't want to let anything out the bag.” 

Washington was asked a followup question and simply repeated his statement with a big smile. Could Washington have a sense that Ohtani is re-signing, or was it just a fun way for him to dodge the question?

Either way, the buzz is starting to build around Ohtani, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand is reporting that the Angels remain very much in the mix. The Dodgers and Blue Jays are considered top candidates as well.

General manager Perry Minasian wouldn’t get into specifics on Ohtani, but he said that he’s still trying to conduct other business as usual despite Ohtani’s looming decision. Whether he re-signs will have a major impact on the club's payroll, however, as Ohtani could command as much as $40 or $50 million per year. The Angels are roughly $70 million under the Competitive Balance Tax threshold, but much like they did at last year’s Trade Deadline, they could go past that mark if they bring back Ohtani.

“We've spent a lot of time up to this point, going through 1,000 different scenarios.” Minasian said. “So 'difficult' would be the wrong word. I think we have to be able to make adjustments. We have to have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D and be able to think on our feet. We have to explore the trade market, maybe more than we have in the past. There are some interesting names on the trade front that we’ve had discussions about.”

Minasian made it clear that the Angels plan to improve the roster regardless of whether they’re able to re-sign Ohtani this offseason, and he said there’s not one area that he’s particularly focused on because he believes they can get better in all aspects. But Minasian did say catcher is not a position he’s currently targeting, which refutes an earlier report about the club’s potential interest in Martín Maldonado. Veteran catcher Max Stassi is expected back next season after missing 2023 because of a left hip injury and a family emergency.

“We're looking to improve, and we’re looking at all areas,” Minasian said. “I know everybody rolls their eyes. But you guys watched this. We can improve everywhere. I don't think anybody's gonna argue with me on that. We can improve in the bullpen, in the rotation, the lineup, from a run-prevention standpoint and defensively.”

The Angels ranked 16th in the Majors with 739 runs scored in 2023, while their 4.64 ERA ranked 23rd. But Minasian believes their current players can get better, especially under the tutelage of Washington and an almost entirely new coaching staff that has bench coach Ray Montgomery as the lone holdover.

“We have to get better internally,” Minasian said. “We're not going to buy a whole new team or trade for a whole new team. There's talent here. I can tell you from some of the trade conversations I've had that there’s a lot of talent here and players other teams would love to have.” 

Minasian pointed to young starting pitchers such as Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Chase Silseth and Griffin Canning as players who can improve heading into next year, and the team is still deciding whether to use a five-man rotation or stick with a six-man. Even if they re-sign Ohtani, he wouldn’t pitch in 2024 because of his elbow surgery, so there wouldn’t be a need for a sixth starter. 

But Minasian also said he believes veteran stars Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon will be healthier and productive this season. He called Trout’s left hamate fracture a freak injury that wasn’t preventable, and he still thinks Rendon can be an everyday third baseman despite his injuries in each of the past three seasons. Minasian said he’ll continue to add depth to have a contingency plan in place, but he still fully believes in Trout and Rendon. 

“Sometimes a chip on your shoulder is a good thing,” Minasian said. “We have a lot of guys with chips on their shoulders.”