The curious case of the Los Angeles Angels continues this offseason as they wait patiently for two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani to make his free agency decision. While waiting, the team has also been rumored to be looking into a potential deal to trade away star outfielder Mike Trout.
Angels general manager Perry Minasian shot down any rumors that involved Trout being traded this winter, but that won’t stop teams from calling — or from people speculating that they could still move him this offseason.
MLB insider Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com put together a trade package that would land Trout in his hometown with the Philadelphia Phillies. This may be one of the few places Trout would be willing to be traded too.
“Phillies get: OF Mike Trout and cash considerations, Angels get: OF Nick Castellanos and OF Justin Crawford (Phillies’ No. 3 prospect)”
“When it comes to trades, name value is nowhere near as important as surplus value. Unfortunately, future Hall of Famer Mike Trout is no longer a provider of surplus value.”
Per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com
If Ohtani does leave the team, moving Trout may become more feasible. While he still has many years left on his contract, he may not want to be a part of a rebuilding team.
Trout isn’t getting any younger, and he has expressed his desire to win in the past. It could see him asking management for a trade this offseason, despite the complicated process it would take to make it happen.
“With an enormous contract that will pay him $37.1 million in each of the next seven seasons (taking him to age 39) and a litany of injuries that have limited him to 237 games over the past three seasons, Trout’s trade value is not what it once was, not to mention that he has trade veto power (aka a no-trade clause). That’s why a deal is not at all likely to happen.”
Per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com
Moving Trout would probably be the smart move for the Halos this winter, but they seem to remain committed to fielding a winning team. The organization has been stuck in mediocrity for some time now, and they don’t seem to be trending in the right direction.
The Angels offseason is one of the more interesting around the league, and others are watching it closely. Any signal that Trout could become available, and there will be multiple teams getting on the phone trying to land him.
