Mike Trout could soon be in suiting up in another uniform. USA Today reports that the perennially maligned Angels are open to trading the former MVP should he request one. This surprising development comes as Trout himself has expressed his intention to engage in discussions with the team’s management during the upcoming offseason to assess the organization’s future direction.
Trout, a perennial All-Star and one of baseball’s premier talents said
“When it’s brought up in the offseason, you’ve obviously got to talk about it, and think about it. I haven’t thought about it yet. There are going to be some conversations in the winter, for sure. Just to see the direction of everything and what the plan is.”
Trout signed a 12-year $430 million deal in 2019 and is still owed close to $250 million, so any possibility of this is pretty remote.
The Angels’ willingness to entertain the idea of trading Trout bears testament to yet another chastening season. The Perry Minasian led franchise has expertly managed to underachieve in Shohei Ohtani’s best season yet. Even though Trout has missed a chunk of the season due to injury, the Angels made a desperate win-now move to strengthen their roster during the trade deadline. This blew up in their faces disastrously and marquee acquisition Lucas Giolito was soon sent down.
Trout, has been loyal to the Angels since his selection by the team in the 2009 MLB Draft, but mounting frustration and a lack of clear vision from the front office may lead him to seek fresher pastures on a team built to contend for a World Series championship. The future of both Trout and Ohtani may pivot on the team’s offseason decisions, particularly Ohtani’s impending free agency.
