An Angels rebuild – and Mike Trout trade – may be happening.
With Shohei Ohtani expected to leave in free agency – albeit for not as much as previously expected before his right UCL injury – the Angels are open to trading Trout if he wants out of Los Angeles, according to USA Today.
That is certainly a big caveat, but Trout being open to a trade would change the offseason outlook since the free-agent position-player class is uninspiring beyond Ohtani.
Trout, while no longer the unquestioned best player in baseball, is still an elite player when healthy and would upgrade any lineup in the sport.
The Yankees, who tried to draft Trout, could certainly use a center fielder. The Phillies have long been linked to Trout due to his affinity for Philadelphia, its sports teams and his South Jersey roots (Millville, N.J.)
Trout has a no-trade clause and recently said he planned to have a talk with organization decision makers about the team’s future.
He would not comment on whether he would ask for a trade, per the Orange County Register.
“When it’s brought up in the offseason, you obviously got to talk about it and think about it,” Trout said, according to the Orange County Register. “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.”
The Angels drafted Trout in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft and he has only played for them during his illustrious career.
However, despite his greatness, he has played in a total of three postseason games — all in 2014.
The Royals swept the Angels in their American League Division Series en route to the World Series.
Trout, who turned 32 in August, may want to pursue postseason success.
The possibility of the Angels trading Trout indicates a potential massive change of direction for an Angels franchise that has fruitlessly chased glory with Trout and Ohtani.
Despite having two MVPs on their team, the Angels will have failed to make the postseason during the duo’s six years together when they are eliminated from contention this month.
Owner Arte Moreno and the organization – perhaps stubbornly – have refused to tear it down despite repeated front office failures.
The Angels could have ushered in a new rebuild with a plethora of top prospects had they ever been open to trading Trout or Ohtani, but instead pushed forward with no results to show.
Now, the Angels will lose Ohtani and just receive a third-round pick in return.
And Trout, for as great as he is, is not worth what he had been in past years due to injuries that have limited his availability.
Trout has topped 100 games once in the past three seasons, including 2023, and has not played in more than 119 games in this stretch.
He has played in just 82 games this year and has played in just one game since July 3 due to a left hamate fracture he suffered in July.
Trout is slashing .263/.367/.490 with 18 homers and 44 RBIs.
He is owed $259.8 million ($37.1 million per year) over the next seven years, which will limit his market to deep-pocketed teams.
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