Jason Burgos
While some New York Mets fans have pondered the idea of a Mike Trout trade, a notable team insider explained on Friday why it is extremely unlikely.
The Mets have played better over the last week. They have won four of their last six and back-to-back series ahead of their game on Friday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Nevertheless, they head into the weekend with an extremely disappointing 14-23 record.
There are a variety of issues that can be pointed at for the team’s poor results. However, the performance of a very expensive batting order has stunned many. Yes, injuries to players like Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, and Jorge Polanco have been debilitating. But their hitting should be far better than it has been. Injuries have nothing to do with the underwhelming play of Bo Bichette, Francisco Alvarez, and Marcus Semien.
Mike Trout stats: .260 AVG, .429 OBP, .550 SLG, .979 OPS, 11 HR, 23 RBI, 32 R, 5 SB
That’s why fans and analysts have speculated about trades the team could make to bring a boost to their struggling offense. One name that has come up in recent weeks is future Hall of Famer Mike Trout. After six straight seasons battling injuries, the Los Angeles Angels legend has looked like his old self in 2026. Smacking 11 homers and scoring 32 runs over the team’s first 37 games.
The idea of a Mike Trout trade was posed by a fan in a new mailbag article from The Athletic’s Mets insider Tim Britton. Interestingly enough, he admitted he would love to cover the three-time MVP and could “envision a scenario, however narrow, in which it would make a single iota of sense for the Mets.” However, he also explained why team president David Stearns would never consider it.
“Trout is owed about $142 million over the next four seasons. He’s played in fewer than half of the Angels’ games over the last five years. The Mets unloaded a more reliably productive player in Brandon Nimmo who was making significantly less because of concerns about his long-term fit. They are not about to bring in Trout to replace that lost offense.”
– Tim Britton
The 11-time All-Star is making just over $37 million a year through his age 38 season in 2030. If he were signed for one more season, Stearns might consider it. But four more is too much for an executive who doesn’t like long investments in players over 30.
Other than seeing a legendary player in New York, local fans have always been infatuated with the idea of Trout playing in Gotham since he is a New Jersey native. However, the speculation for years has been about suiting up for his childhood team, the New York Yankees.
