There are some around the league that do believe a Mike Trout trade this winter isn’t impossible. But the starting point for the Los Angeles Angels to move on from the team legend would be pricey.
Mike Trout will go down as one of the great players of his generation. During the 2010s he was the perfect example of a five-tool player and the type of talent any franchise would want to build around. In many ways, he was to recent generations of MLB fans what Ken Griffey Jr. was to their parents.
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And like Griffey Jr., he started to quickly decline after around a decade in the sport. After being the best player in the game for several seasons and winning three American League MVP awards, the outfielder’s consistent battle with injuries has changed the narrative of his career. Instead of being in the MLB GOAT conversation, he is becoming one of the great what-if stories in MLB history.
Making matters worse, recent Angels teams have not delivered on their potential. It has opened the door to the idea that maybe he and the franchise need a fresh start. Unfortunately, his massive 12-year deal with well over $200 million left on it makes him nearly untradeable.
Mike Trout contract: Twelve years, $426.5 million
The idea of a Mike Trout trade was speculated on in a new piece from The Athletic MLB reporters Sam Blum and Andy McCullough this week. The pair asked several executives about a Trout trade and one called it “incredibly” difficult to pull off. Especially, since he has a no-trade clause.
However, if it were at all possible, another MLB exec claimed that “the Angels would have to eat more than half the money just to bring a potential partner to the table.” While that is not very enticing to LA, it still saves them money during the rest of the deal. Yet, there is also the drawback if he is moved and turns his career around.
Could the Mets or Mariners be potential destinations in a Mike Trout trade?
But, two teams that might consider a potential deal if a solid portion of his deal is picked up are the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets.
Seattle badly needs hitting and the lack of it will probably cost them a playoff birth in 2024. The Athletic report suggests the less pressurized Angels environment has great appeal to Trout. He would have a similar situation in Seattle. But also be on a team that is not far off from being a World Series contender.
As for the Mets, slugger Pete Alonso could leave in free agency and they might move on from DH JD Martinez in the offseason. Mike Trout is a New Jersey native and returning to the East Coast to join a team on the rise could interest him. The future Hall-of-Famer has suggested he would be open to a position change, so first base or DH could be an option in New York.
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