The usual buzz surrounding the Angels was noticeably absent this spring, the departure of the supernova that was Shohei Ohtani giving their training camp the feel of a county fairgrounds the day after the circus left town.

Gone was the Japanese media throng that greeted Ohtani in the parking lot every morning, followed the two-way star's every move throughout the day and peppered players with questions about him in the clubhouse.

Gone were the photographers who climbed the butte overlooking the practice facility — known as Shohei Mountain — to get aerial shots of Ohtani's arrival.

A daily media contingent that consisted of 30-50 reporters, photographers and camera operators fell this spring to two or three Southern California-based reporters who follow the team on a regular basis, with a few national and freelance writers dropping by occasionally.

"Just a little bit," Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval said with a chuckle, when asked if things were quieter around camp this spring. "We got our clubhouse back."

Make no mistake: In no world are the Angels better off without Ohtani, the two-time American League most valuable player who was the team's best pitcher and hitter for three years before heading for greener and bluer pastures with the 10-year, $700-million deal he signed with the Dodgers in December.

But there is at least one benefit to the loss of a player who was the axis upon which the Angels spun, a once-in-a-lifetime talent whom the Angels moved mountains for in a desperate attempt to reach the playoffs in 2023, believing it was the only way they could retain him in free agency, only for it to all come crashing down on them in August.

"I guess the narrative on the outside is that we're kind of forgotten about now that Ohtani is not here," Sandoval said. "There are no high expectations of us from the media and the fans and baseball in general."

This is not necessarily a bad thing. The Angels have been a major disappointment to most of their own fans after failing to produce even one winning record — let alone a playoff berth — in the six seasons they had Mike Trout, a three-time AL MVP, and Ohtani in the lineup.

They are considered longshots to end a nine-year playoff drought in a rugged AL West that features the defending World Series-champion Texas Rangers and the perennial-contending Houston Astros, but at least they won't be deemed a colossal flop if they fail to reach the postseason.

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