The Angels have had two of the best players in the world on their roster for the past six years in Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Their efforts to compete in that time came up short and Ohtani is now on the Dodgers. Many have wondered about the ripple effects of that change, whether it would lead the club to rebuild or perhaps Trout to ask to be traded.
Earlier in the offseason, general manager Perry Minasian addressed the former concern, making it clear that the club would not be in rebuilding. Today, Trout addressed his angle on things to members of the media, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register and Sam Blum of The Athletic. Notably, he said that he thinks “the easy way out is to ask for a trade.”
“When I signed that contract, I’m loyal,” Trout said. “I want to win a championship here. The overall picture of winning a championship or getting to the playoffs here is bigger satisfaction than bailing out and just taking the easy way out. So I think that’s been my mindset. Maybe down the road, if some things change, but that’s been my mindset ever since the trade speculation came up.”
Trout’s contract pays him $35.45MM annually through 2030 and he has full no-trade protection. Many have wondered if he would be willing to waive that clause in order to increase his chances at playing in the postseason or winning a title, but it seems as though that’s not where his head it at right now, but it also seems like maybe his mind will change at some point. “I can’t predict the future,” he said.
Despite having the Ohtani-Trout tandem, the club found no success over the past six years. It was rare that both were healthy and productive at the same time, but it’s nonetheless quite noteworthy how poor the club fared in that time frame. They didn’t even crack .500 in that stretch, as their last winning season was 2015. Their last playoff appearance was 2014 and their last playoff victory was 2009.
Now the team appears to be in a state of flux. Owner Arte Moreno recently spoke about how the club was planning to have a lower payroll this year. Meanwhile, Trout seems to have been doing his best to push against that, telling that media that he has continually encouraged Moreno to sign the top remaining free agents that are still available.
“There’s a few guys out there that I’ve talked to that want to be here for sure,” Trout said. “I’m competitive. The guys that are out there are great players and great people. It would be foolish to say I don’t want them to come here.” He didn’t name names but Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman remain unsigned here in mid-February. “I’m going to keep pushing as long as I can,” he added. “Until the season starts or until those guys sign. It’s just in my nature. I’m doing everything I can possible. It’s obviously Arte’s decision. I’m going to put my two cents in there.” When Trout was asked if he thought Moreno would actually get something done, he responded thusly: “Um, you know, it’s uh, yeah, no. You know how Arte is.”
The Halos had an Opening Day payroll of $212MM last year, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts. They are only slated for $173MM this year, per Roster Resource, along with a competitive balance tax figure of $188MM that’s well below this year’s base threshold of $237MM. There would be room for extra expenditures if they were even willing to meet last year’s levels, when they flirted with the CBT line. But with Moreno’s comments about lowering the payroll, it’s unknown how much extra room the club has for a big free agent splash, despite Trout’s lobbying.
Trout has remained an effective player in recent years, though his overall workload has diminished. A left hamate fracture limited him to 82 games last year, back problems capped him at 119 games in 2022 and a right calf strain in 2021 limited him to just 36 contests. Last year, his .263/.367/.490 batting line was still quite strong, translating to a wRC+ of 134. That means he was still 34% above league average, but that was his lowest such grade since his cup-of-coffee debut in 2011. He also hasn’t stolen more than two bases in a season since 2019.
He’s now 32 and turning 33 in August, so there will naturally be questions about his health and productivity going forward. Even if he were to ask for a trade in the future, the Angels would likely have to eat some money in order to make it work. Despite all his talent, his age and the injury questions would prevent him from getting $248.15MM over seven years, which is what currently remains on his deal.
For now, the Halos and Trout are still attached. Whether they can compete without Ohtani and with lower payrolls remains to be seen. They spent big on the bullpen this offseason, adding Robert Stephenson, Matt Moore, Luis García, Adam Cimber and José Cisnero, but they’ve done little to address their rotation or lineup. They face a tough division that features the reigning-champion Rangers, an Astros club that’s made the ALCS seven straight years and the well-rounded Mariners. If the Angels fall from contention again, as has happened so often in the past, the questions about the future of the Trout-Angels relationship will only get louder.
Easier than the Angels finding a taker on that anchor of a contract.
The Dodgers would want him.
No thanks. We have enough regular season hall of famers already.
Yes but Prospect’s they might want,
Are you saying Trout would perform poorly in the playoffs with the Dodgers?
I’m sure Trout wouldn’t perform nowhere near as bad as the Dodgers golden child, Kershaw, performs in the playoffs.
Walter Trout plays much better than Mike does. Mike has no neck.
Yeah as if the angels lack of being in the playoffs is trouts fault
Thats short sighted…trout has only 3 post season games every he could be the next reggie jackson given the shot
I hear that. But freakin aye mate ! The writing is on the wall. So why not just have trout report to camp in June ?! Then have them ready for majors on 7/1. Get them playin 4x a week and have him primed come sept ??
@Darren. What the hell are you talking about about? He’s had a whole whopping 15 plate appearances in the playoffs and that was in 2014.
Neither does a trout
Curious what you mean by that. It’s not like Trout has a poor post season record. He has barely even played in the post season. I’m not saying he would be the best way for them to spend their money, just that particular reasoning is confusing.
Arte would give up his first born before trading with the dodgers.
Arte has nothing of trade value anyways.
DDC
THE ANGELS have
Trout
Detmers
Sandoval
O’Hoppe
Neto
ward
Canning
…
THE ANGELS have lots of players with trade value
What are you talking about?
those are players you should be building around
Trout has the name and can still play better than most. Any team getting Trout would see a raise in their attendance right away!!!
If Trout were to ask for a trade he would be heading home to philly
At his age, Mike would take the best deal where ever it would take him!
You beat me to it. With Trout’s health issues and that contract NO ONE is trading for him.unless the Angels are eating money or packaging something else.
They have just under 50M before the tax, i mean i would think the Angles could get 2 of the big 4 on 1-2 year deal in the 22-30 range for each guy. Belly and snell could come in on iden82year 50M contracts with an opt out after season 1. Im sure Arte would sell more tickets. Not an angels fan but god dang how do you not do that.
Murphy, Belli and Snell aren’t settling for 2/$50M. Correa’s contract is a worst-case scenario for them.
Phillies
No thanks. Trout’s contract and health are both not fun.
I think he’s unloaded easily. Angels pockets are forever deep so just pay his contract out to acquire some teams top prospect a la Mets
Good. They have no chance of winning during his career given his age, ownership, and organization in general, but at least he is staying with the team. Instead of being a POS like griffey jr.
No chance of winning? I wouldn’t live by that, considering how teams have gone zero to hero in just one offseason
Let’s put this in perspective. Over the last 4 years with Trout, Ohtani, Rondon, etc. the Angels have won a total of 5 more games than the rebuilding Detroit Tigers, a team that typically wouldn’t have had an All Star representative if it wasn’t mandatory. They now just lost their best pitcher AND hitter. They’re getting worse not better.
I’m just saying don’t count them out before the season starts, bud. Anything can happen
You are aware they’re in the same division with Houston and Texas? Cracking.500, which would be a huge improvement will still put them in 3rd or 4th place.
Lol even furhther perspective..since 2019 (throw out 2020) trout , ohtani and rendon have combined for 3 healthy seasons..and 2019 rendon did it with wash on the way to a title..the angels were bad in thier collective time but the only comp to the tigers is the fact that this trio wasnt on the field for either team
Hey Stathead, Apparently, you have no idea how good Seattle is. The Halos have a better shot at the cellar than third place.
I’m just saying…should be an instant disqualifier if placed before any statement seeking validation.
Seattle’s good? They missed the postseason last year and traded away the guy with the highest strikeout ratio in MLB. Their pitchers are questionable in my opinion. I’m not sure I see them as good as people are saying they are.
But, anything can happen. I’m not ruling them out.
They’re also not spending a ridiculous amount for a guy who has had injuries and will be out as a pitcher for 2023. They dodged a bullet there, but I do agree with you that the Angels need a plan.
The Angels are still a few moves away from contending, but that’s just it. They need to make those few moves and haven’t. Doesn’t mean they’re automatically eliminated.
Trade Baez straight up for Rendon. One POS for another.
and Texas was supposed to finish 3rd or 4th last season with Seattle being 2nd and easily clinching a wild card spot. Look what happened? How did your Dodgers-Astros WS prediction work out for you by the way?
Tigers get hosed
A few moves can turn the whole clubhouse around if they make the right moves.
Ohtani just had his 2nd TJS. His elite pitching days are behind him. He has to be extra careful and change his mechanics to make sure he avoids the 3rd TJS that seems to be the magic number that turns an effective starter into a #5/Longman. You can only drill so many holes into a specific area of a bone. Even with so much being deferred they overpaid for him big time.
It’s clear that you didn’t watch the team play the entire year and that’s okay. The team was highly competitive up and to the trade deadline despite a pitching staff that didn’t perform well. The moves that were made at the trade deadline wouldn’t have even been necessary had the team not been decimated by injuries. Those injuries became too much to overcome. When management realized that the season was lost they tanked. Only one starting position player finished the season in the line up… at least up until he was put on waivers. The team had enough sticks. That wasn’t the problem when they were healthy. It needed and still needs reliable pitching. Yes, Ohtani’s loss will be felt but he is one pitcher and a DH. There are still pieces on the table that makes this team competitiveand that is on the mound.
I’m not a supporter of Javier Baez but if there is one player I wouldn’t take for Baez, its Anthony Rendon.
The Angels were highly competitive? Not with those walks plus hits allowed from the pitchers. They were never even close because theyd pitch themselves out of any game the longer it goes.
Don’t see a lineup that will bring a championship to Anaheim
@Owen-Bad take. no thumbs up foryou. Did you think the Rangers would be WC this time last year?
The Rangers spent 500 million dollars on Seager and Semien alone. They’ve spent almost a billion dollars in free agency the last 2 years. That doesn’t guarantee you anything but they didn’t come out of nowhere.
@Astro-Yes but they did that year before and didn’t win until the brought Maddox and Boche on board along with other changes
You could see their team improving not like the Angels
lol Griffey was a pos for leaving Seattle?
For demanding a trade, and not only that but that it be to only 1 single team. Has never happened before or since in MLB history. And for the way he conducted himself the 2nd time he was playing for Seattle, and for the way he left Seattle the 2nd time. And for other reasons as well. He’s a marginally better person than Barry Bonds, at best.
Actually, Bonds is a nice person now. Whereas people who see griffey jr around town in FL say that hes a complete d-bag. So maybe he *used* to be a marginally better person than Bonds.
Randy Johnson demanded to be traded to the Yankees and only the yankees
You keep Forgetting Randy Johnson who was pulling an Operation Shutdown while demanding the sane thing. Look at his record with Seattle as he pitched like he forgot or didn’t care how to then is traded to Houston and turned into Doyle Alexander 1987 Tigers. Griffey trade ended up being better for the Mariners than for the Reds.
Not excusing either of them but after the 1998-99 seasons where their bullpen was a gas can and the team did not do much in FA to help while making trades that helped other teams more (Red Sox). They had enough.
Actually Halladay did the same thing to the Jays so Griffey isn’t the only one.
No his attitude made him a a POS.
Right, there are numerous other examples that could easily be listed. Including griffey jr being terrible to Linda Cohn and then lying about why he was terrible to her. Or refusing to pay for his jet ski parking in Seattle because he thought he was entitled to not pay for it (despite his mega salary) because of his name. Or refusing to give interviews with local media because he thought they were beneath him and only giving interviews to national reporters. Etc. The widespread public perception of him is a complete farse.
What annoyed me about the Griffey trade was that he straight up said he would not approve any trade in which he felt the Reds were giving up too much talent to the Mariners. How are you going to demand a trade to only 1 team and then think you get to decide what the return should be as well? Such a huge middle finger to not only the Mariners, but their fans as well.
???
Griffey went to his hometown team. How does that make him a POS?
See my comment above. Demanding a trade and then doing everything he could to hamstring them on the return is what made him the bad guy.
RIP Trout’s chances of getting a ring
RIP Trout’s chances of ever getting a single playoff win.
RIP his chances of getting his 2nd playoff hit.
Trout will give them 1-3 more years at most IMO then go to NYY or Boston or maybe the Padres, i dont see him as a dodger if hes saying hes loyal to his deal.
I think he would go to Philly. Isn’t he from there?
He is from New Jersey but I think you are correct that he was a Philly fan growing up. His dad was a pitcher and I know he played briefly for the Yankees. That was back in the early 80s so I don’t remember his entire career.
Trout would look good in a Phillies jersey
If Trout said yes to a trade it would be to help the Angels not Trout
He said he’s loyal to his organization. The Angels don’t care about winning He needs to look out for himself and gtfo out of there.
Making $34M a year. What does he have to look out for? He loves playing for the team. He loves where he’s at.
For most players I would agree but Trout was in his prime one of the best baseball players of all time.
We were robbed of any sort of moment from him when it mattered because he chose to be loyal to an absolute dumpster fire of an organization.
@Dusty and what remarkable team do you follow?
A team that hasn’t had 2 first ballot hall of famers in their prime the last half decade with 0 playoff appearances
Its not that they dont care about winning, thats often the misnomer. Its that Arte wont run the ship himself and wont let others run it, so the thinking is unintentionally short term often and makes it impossible for progress to compound longterm.
That doesn’t explain why the club won’t sign pitchers to long-term contracts nor will trade for promising cost-controlled, young pitchers.
@ Max please explain your comment. “Don’t care about winning”
Maybe he is loyal to his fans. That would be a novel concept to you, eh, maxmilna.
Mike Trout has earned the right to do things that make Mike Trout and his family happy. And if that means doing what he is doing and living where he wants to live, then respect that.
Agree
Well, he’s getting paid and prolly has a Laguna Beach mansion. That definitely qualifies as “looking out for himself”….
Complaining that it’s “the easy way out” is like refusing to go through the open door and instead throwing yourself through a plate glass window then diving through the shards.
Sometimes it takes an idiot not to realize where he is.
Let me see…
$36MM a year. Every year. For 7 more years. (To play a game.)
32 years old
House looking out over the ocean in 78 degree weather year round
I’m sure he has zero desire to “gtfo” lol.
If he is happy playing for the team that drafted him and has until now spent quite a bit to surround him with stars I don’t see the problem with him staying put. Lots of superstar players retire without a ring. He can always go the Beltran route and sign short mercenary contracts at the end of his career if he wants a ring that badly. I think the Angels fanbase deserves to keep their star player if he wants to stay. I wish more players had his attitude towards their team and fans. Signing with a strong contender doesn’t always get you a ring anyway. The playoffs are always a surprise for a couple of teams. Remember the 2008 Cubs or the Dodgers outside of an asterisk year? How about Preller’s first year with the Padres? He brought in all of that superstar talent just to miss the playoffs completely.
$400M buys a lot of loyalty
Let Mike Trout decide the Mets or the Philadelphia Phillies would gladly take Mike Trout
Those are 2 choices? Hard Pass. The 2 teams with most annoying fans in MLB. I don’t know what’s worse, the fans or that heat and high humidity. No thanks.
Not with that contract and health history. He’s averaged 89 days a season over the last 3 years and just posted his worst batting line since his initial call up. Nobody is taking on that obligation and certainly not giving up valuable prospects to pay it out. He’s much better off in LA.
He’s owed 7/$260m, meaning he’d have to put up around 4-1/2 WAR per year through age 38 to be worth it, more or less.
That’s hugely unlikely, especially if he and the Angels aren’t bright enough to make him their full-time DH.
@jack
Yeah… & the Angels aren’t going to want to just give him away either. I think a desperate team would do it. (SF maybe) but to also give up prospect capital—it definitely doesn’t make sense from a pure value perspective. Which is sad that Trout was never on a team good enough to win while he was the guy.
As I remember it Arte always tried to win with offense. He would fall in love with bat’s and the pitching staff was always lacking. In Trout’s best years their bullpen wasn’t much better than an average AAA team. Shelling out over $50m a year for a washed up Pujols and to pay Josh Hamilton to play (or not play) elsewhere killed any chance they had for Trout to get a ring.
It’s not his call
It sure would be fun to see him in the playoffs before he starts to decline…
He’s declining already. The 248 left on his contract is an overpay for the number of games he’ll pay over the next 7 years.
He’s 32, no longer a base stealer, hes fragile, and last season he posted the worst BA/OBP/SLG/K rate of his career. And that was before he was injured. His prime performance ability ended with the 2019 season at the latest. There were already red flags in 2020. It’s safe to say that hes declining.
Didn’t he hit just 40 HR’s a year ago?
That’s some decline!
That was 2 years ago and that was his 1 single standout performance since 2019. The trend is what matters. And he still wasn’t close to as valuable as his prime seasons in 2022.
Yes he did in about 70 games at the end of 2022
He hit 40 homeruns in 2022 a injury shortened season, most of his injuries were freak injuries from batting. He hasn’t been a base stealer since his second year when he put on a lot mass. Your right he’s old and done at 32.
He was a base stealer until the 2019 season. And yes, 32 (and turning 33 during this season) is on the older side for a baseball player, the average is around 28. They don’t call it ‘the wrong side of 30’ in baseball for nothing. 33 is a borderline old player. And he is obviously fragile and injury prone, including now with a permanent back injury. To think otherwise is delusional.
@ owens 2016 was the last time he had 30 stolen bases. 2019 your right he was a incredible on the base paths with 11. 32/ 33 is still prime years this is not football. Also a hamate injury is the wrist not back.
You might want to at least look up the facts and know how to read, if you’re going to be sarcastic.
I said ‘until 2019’, that means through 2018. 2014-2018, he averaged 21 SB per season, including 24 in 2018. That’s a legitimate base stealer. And in fact a very good one, since he averaged an 84% success rate, which is excellent. Here’s a rhetorical question for you: do you really not know about the back injury? If not, all you have to do is Google it. And no, early 30s are not usually still prime years in baseball, not even close. There is much more often than not a big dropoff in the late 20s/early 30s.
Tired of dealing with stupid, belligerent people.
@owens how about you stop posting misinformation to troll problem solved. He stopped stealing bases in 2016 could’ve been his decision or the teams but he wasn’t a threat in 2019 you didn’t say averages and that’s irrelevant. The back injury was 2022. 2023 was his wrist I would imagine that’s why he had a bad year.
The back injury is relevant in terms of him being broken down, especially since it’s a permanent issue. I never said anything about 2019, again, I said through 2018. In your deluded, weak mind, a 24/26 SB season, for example, = ‘not a base stealer’. You are truly hopeless and no point in responding to you anymore.
@owens He was a base stealer until the 2019 season. That’s your words
In fact, your posts are so dumb, that you might actually be trolling with fake stupidity. Anyway, bye. Not responding anymore.
Could him not stealing bases just be because he chooses not to? Yes stealing bases is great, but playing smart baseball and running the bases is also great. At this stage in his career it’s more important to stay healthy and play smarter. I’m sure Trout could still steal bases if he wanted to. Just like Garrett Anderson decided not to dive for balls in the outfield. As Mike Scoscia said about Anderson. He said, he is always in good position and reads the ball well, He doesn’t have to dive for balls. That’s why it was a big surprise when he dove for a ball and caught it in 2002 World Series playoffs. I’m sure Mike Trout would steal a much needed bag in a crucial situation. It’s a good thing the Angels now have Washington as coach. As he stated the Angels will play smart baseball and take bases the smart way. Either by stealing or by situational batting!
@alex he gets mad when you respond, and exactly he just stopped stealing bags the league as a whole did. He keeps talking about this back issue, that article’s said could be a issue for the rest of career. He came back and hit 14 homeruns in 34 games, and said his back is fine. Last year was his wrist definitely could’ve have affected his swing. He just wants to say trout is done and washed up at the old age of 32
Right Alex, he could probably still steal bases, but he doesn’t, partially because of injury concerns. Its something he used to do but hasn’t since the end of the 2018 season- it’s part of his decline in value. Last season was a giant red flag for him- career worst BA, OBP, SLG, K rate. He’s still a good player but a shadow of what he used to be in terms of inability to stay on the field plus performance decline.
He started his decline five years ago.
@Met yet your fellow Met fans clamor for him every time they post something about him on here. Kinda kooky your fellow Met fans are. Are they not?
He has already started his decline
“Um, you know, it’s uh, yeah, no. You know how Arte is.”
This is the only sentence in the article that matters. The rest is fluff.
Lol right, just what we need, another trade Trout article. Come’on man! Follow it up with another redundant Ohtani article now.
I should clarify. I’m not criticizing the article. I’m just saying that the rest of Trout’s little speech consisted of empty words. He doesn’t have the ability to influence how competitive the Angels will or won’t be. He doesn’t even have the ability to go somewhere else if he wanted to. He could request a trade, but he can’t force a trade. His “loyalty” is like saying an inmate is loyal to his prison. He’s there whether he wants to be or not. That’s what happens when you sign a huge contract that covers 12 years.
Lmao, you couldn’t be more wrong Don. Enough said. No need.
A inmate is loyal to his prison? you can’t come up with a better example than that?
SMH
Right Winslow, not just a terrible take, also a terrible analogy. Hahaha
Well, his NTC gives him some power, so he’s not exactly an inmate, unless he’s Andy Dufresne and has special privvies b/c he cook’s the warden’s books and has a healthy penchant for cinematic beauties only trumped by a fascination of geology.
Sounds like Trout is doing everything he can to get players interested in playing for the Angels. He’s texting, calling, cajoling. Then he does the same thing with Arte…who’s the ultimate decision maker. So I do think Trout can have an influence on how competitive they are by his recruitment efforts with players then sweet-talking Arte. [It appears Perry Minasian is completely superfluous. It’s the Arte Moreno Show for sure.]
His NTC means he can’t be traded without his approval. It doesn’t mean he can force a trade.
@don he has never asked for a trade but they said that if he’s unhappy they will trade him. That doesn’t sound like a inmate.
The Angels can agree to TRY to trade him. That doesn’t mean it will happen. I’m sure the Angels have limits as to how much of a loss they would be willing to take to move him.
I knew when I made the post it would anger a lot of people.
But the truth is neither Trout, nor the Angels are dealing from a position of strength concerning Trout’s future. Both parties are chained to that contract. That’s just how it is.
@Plug Let’s go for the trifecta, A Rendon Quote.
Don
Trout had a chance back in 2018, 2019 when Bryce Harper was trying to get him to come Philadelphia. He knew what he was doing when he signed that contract. He’s making 35 million dollars a year, he’s going to be just fine!
His contract is completely untradeable. Angels would have to pay down a ton to move him. He’s still elite when on the field but he’s breaking down and will have to soon play LF full time. I respect his loyalty but his career will never have postseason glory which is a shame
AC
“His contract is completely untradeable. Angels would have to pay down a ton to move him. ”
So, not completely untradeable then?
Arte is not going to pay another team that kind of money to play against them. Trout still puts butts in the seats
AC
“Arte is not going to pay another team that kind of money to play against them”
No, because that’s a dumb way to think about that
“Trout still puts butts in the seats”
This is much more important
That’s Arte’s only concern, butt in seats.
@Senior-And. it isn’t with the other 29 owners?
Paying down the contract and not getting any useful prospects back is essentially untradeable. Yes, he’d technically have been traded but LA gains nothing but some minor financial relief.
Sh
“, he’d technically have been traded”
So, tradeable, then?
Everyone is tradeable if you don’t want anything in return and agree to pay their contract.
SH
“Everyone is tradeable if you don’t want anything in return and agree to pay their contract.”
No. The player still has to be valuable enough to be traded for
Welp, take that easy way out
Sign Trevor Bauer! $5 mil for 1 year with another $5 mil in bonuses + $10 mil option for next year with $2 mil buyout!
Even better, Bauer’s said on twitter he’s only looking for league minimum ($700k range) + incentives.. Really don’t get why someone doesn’t take a shot at him for that cheap.
99.9% of those on this site know why.
And yet, Steve Cohen still falls asleep every night, tossing and turning to the temptation of adding Montgomery and Bauer to his rotation.
It’s an ethical issue
@30 With those annoying fans.?They don’t have to sign him for millions. The dodgers owe him the money.
No
He’s been more than patient and plenty loyal. Angels had their chance. Bail out now while you can still be useful somewhere
Aka, he preferred the certainty of being hugely wealthy when he signed that extension rather than wait out the two years to FA.
Mike Trout. The Ernie Banks of Anaheim. Let’s Play Two, Mike!
HOF with and Angels cap on, when his time comes. Much respect for that man Trout and his abilities.
Ernie Banks is the perfect comparison to Trout. Trout has a single post season appearance and hit, unlike Banks, but both will most likely end up dominant seasons but well down the ranks in career counting stats.
Just jump on the 5 South, Fish Guy! We’d love to have ya patrolling Petco’s grass…
He’d be a DH at best. If he plays the field he’s going to get injured and spend the season on the DL.
I think he could make a pretty good first baseman.
Actually I’d agree with that. He’d be a really expensive DH.
What’s cost when you can get Uncle Artie to foot the bill!
Notani is an expensive DH no telling if he will ever be an affective pitcher again
There’s also the ‘small detail’ that Trout is untradable unless Anaheim pays a huge portion of his contract. Broken down and declining and turns 33 this season and still has a mega millions contract- hundreds of millions of dollars- left to be paid. His trade value is trash unless Anaheim covers a massive portion of the remaining contract.
I think what Trout is really saying is I will continue to be loyal if I see that you are willing to spend, and match my loyalty with cash. At least make it look like you are trying to be competitive.
The fact is that Anaheim owes Trout nothing more than his mega millions salary. Hes a phenomenally well compensated employee of the organization. A worker, that’s it. Hes not ownership, hes not management, etc.
It’s his own fault for signing there and extending there. They promised him a championship team and they never delivered. Maybe too late for him- I don’t think many teams would trade for him. I think he’s rotted there and he’s wasted his career.
Nobody wants Trout. LOL saying the easy way out. Most overpaid guy in baseball.
af
“Nobody wants Trout”
False
If Trout were a free agent right now, nearly every team with money would want him.
I wonder if the Dodgers would take him on a restructered contract? I would think Ohtani would like having his old pal with him in Blue.
rwnc
EVERY team would take him on the right contract
Every
Team
What the right contact is would be different for every team, of course
@running. The Dodgers make $320M a year in local Tv revenue. Money is not a issue.
I think what @atomicfront means is no one wants him for the current price tag. If he was a free agent and had a normal price tag maybe teams would be I tested.
It’s about money and attendance most every team would be interested he would bring people to the game$$$
Trout would leave if he could. Arte really messed up.
@Atomic- did you your dealer type that for you?
I think what you mean here is that no one wants him for the current price tag. a free agent price tag & teams would be interested.
It shouldn’t be absurd. If you project Trout at 3 wins per season over the next 7 years (and as a DH, why not?), he’d be worth about $170m. The Angels eat 90m in salary and… yeah, never mind. They’ll never do it.
That’s an insane thing to to say
C-I
What’s an insane thing to say
He may end up being a sellout just like Ohtani and signing up for an easy ring with the Dodgers, but for now, with a statement like this, he is a much better man than Ohtani. Yeah the contract is a hinderance for the team, but Trout may actually feel a sense of pride finishing his career with one team, something players rarely do anymore. Most take the easy way out like Ohtani. Even going to an up-and-coming team in a city that would truly appreciate him and actually has a connection to its sports teams (Toronto, Chicago) would have represented a sense of maturity. But trying to start the super team with the Evil Empire is just cowardly (Kevin Durant knows about this too, of course). Here’s hoping Trout actually stays true to his word.
Ohtani is not a sellout. The Angels have a responsibility too and failed. A bottom 5 farm system for over 15 consecutive years is part. You can throw darts against the draft board and do better
He sure is a sellout because he used other teams JUST to leverage those offers and get more money from the ONE team that could meet his ridiculous contract demands (and I don’t care if every CENT of that deal was deferred). But most of you are right – they don’t owe us anything. Sell outs are gonna sell out no matter what us “fans” want. It’s a business, and an ugly one at that.
@Mickey- Sign? He has several years left on his contract. If anything traded for.
Trout should not give a rat’s behind what folks like you deem to be a “much better men”. Frankly, the players don’t owe you or I anything, whether they want to maximize their career earnings, pursue the best chance at competing or stay loyal, particularly after years languishing on poor squads in Trout’s case. Choosing a specific path in a silly attempt to placate fans like yourself would be the dumbest thing imaginable.
Whatever decisions he makes from here on out, he should make them for himself (and his family) and no one else.
The Angels would need to eat at least half his contract and the club taking him would have to commit to him in a corner OF/DH role to decrease wear and tear, but he’s still an offensive force.
As opposed to the hard way of…putting up like a 20 WAR season to (as close as possible) take the team single-handidly to the playoffs?
I suppose that’s true
Work smarter, not harder
Fall on the sword for the love of Anaheim, Michael! Excelsior!
“Last year, his .263/.367/.490 batting line was still quite strong, translating to a wRC+ of 134. That means he was still 34% below league average,”
Nope
Let’s get a new owner and win Championships in 2025, 2026, 2027!
I’m all for keeping Arte lower beer cost!
Rendon is a tool.
MRiHOF
muted (donkey butt)
I agree. Rendon says baseball isnt his top priority. Everyone knows family is everyone’s top priority. To say that comment shows pure frustration of making a fortune to stink and be hurt and not liking the backlash from it. These contracts come with major scrutiny
Oh no! Filihok muted me, I will surely cry myself to sleep tonight!
@astros
Agreed, that’s just the icing on top of the cake, if it was just that it wouldn’t be a big deal but he has acted like a giant baby ever since getting to Anaheim. The whole slapping a fan thing, “no habla Ingles”, and I have two wrists comments is just crazy.
Rendon is loyal to his savings account. He forgot what baseball is. Over/under on how many games he plays this year, 60? The A’s fan that called him a b…h struck a nerve because Anthony and the rest of us know it’s true. He’s a turd of a human and I pray he takes a 97 mph fastball off the chin this season.
Well, I agree with the sentiment but I don’t think I’m ready for him to take 97 to the chin yet.
That escalated quickly!
@gwynning
Yeah extremely haha
Like Joe West said about the Yankees and the Red Sox in 2010 because of how long their games were, Rendon is pathetic and a disgrace to baseball.
Trout has been loyal to the confused Angels long enough – he’ll enjoy playing in Philly by August.
I wouldn’t mind Trout in Philly but maybe next year or we sign Soto
Could be, Philliesfan, but I think the Yankees will extend Soto. Phillies looking good again this year – have a good day.
michael this is called “sunk cost fallacy”
Mike, please take your talents elsewhere.
The return will equal the amount of money retained.
Contract aside,what would you trade for Mike Trout? 3-4 prospects? A team acquiring him isn’t going to give up “the now” while taking a run at a WS. A low level prospect or two to take on that contract.
This is WHY the PA needs to be able to renegotiate salary and term. The advertising revenue would greatly benefit all sides if he makes the playoffs,and his new club.
One of the players must be a bad contract also.
Example: Phillies give up Castellanos, Blue Jays give up Springer, or Astros give up Abreu. Some money would need to be exchanged.
Why does the PA need to be able to renegotiate salary and term(s)? Why WOULD the PA WANT to be able to renegotiate salary and term(s)? That’s a tricky can of worms that the Owners will want in on… the machination just screams “chaos”!
So you think his wife would want to move to Philli from Crystal Cove? No way!!
Trout is going to be this generation’s Ernie Banks. Now, let’s see how many of my generation are out there reading MLBTR
I’m respect Trout. He may be a HOF player without a much playoff stats. Those lack of stats won’t stop him from getting into the Hall. He’s loyal to the contract he signed.
Yes, yes, Ohtani plus Trout gives the writer a thrill, but they were worth 65 WAR combined over 6 seasons, the Angels two best players averaging 10.8 bWAR per year.
That’s not all that unusual a result in a given year from a team’s best two players. It’s about what Cleveland is getting from Jose Ramirez & Andres Giminiez. It’s about what the Mets get from Lindor & Nimmo.. It’s less than what the Yankees get from Judge & Cole. Where are all the articles lamenting their team’s failures on that basis?
It’s just a catchy pairing to hang an article on. Nothing more..
Trout is usually out of shape and/or hurt and must be keenly aware that they have no playoff chances. They will likely be one of the worst teams in baseball this year.
Mike Trout being out of shape is one of the worst takes in this section. And the Angels won’t be the worst MLB team.
Yes, because while they will be trash again, they still will not lose enough games to finish behind the Athletics.
Carlos
“Trout is usually out of shape ”
Citation requested
must’ve been his wife, (elemon8torz p.o. box)
Asking for a trade would be the easy way out.
However, asking for a trade would be reasonable if you’re Mike Trout.
Even with the contract, if your window is now and next year you acquire Mike Trout. Shed as much money in-return as possible.
Trout remains a fan draw and is part of Angels’ branding and Moreno knows this. If they plan on using Trout’s saved money to compete, it may make sense but there is no such plan in place.
Good. Guy was overrated. He’s the 5th best CF in MLB. He’d be on the bench with 4 other guys better than him.
Poppycock
Trade deadline blockbuster coming
“Taking the easy way out” is a shot at Shohei..
I hope Trout likes losing. Angels won’t be winning anytime soon.
Expertise from a fan of team that hasn’t won a real ring since 88.
The fact that you believe this is insane lol lol. I mean in 2020 they actually started having more teams to beat in the Playoffs. What a joke of a take in you’re part
He needs to go back east where he belongs. He’s fit in perfect with the Phillies
I do not see Trout going anywhere. He is not wanting a trade. TO bail and run etc.
He had good years and I think he is headed down. He has been hurt the last few years. I know as an Astros fan last season not sure if even played much against us.
Do I see the Angels running away with division this season No. I know Astros and Rangers probably at top. Seattle, Angels and A’s round out.
Not sure when the A’s will get back into things. When Trout’s contract is up maybe. 2030. But with Houston could see them fall out the window perhaps with Bregman, and Tucker, perhaps gone end of this season and/or next.
But I just do not see Trout earning a ring. Not sure how much more he will go physically with turning 33 in late Summer.
But who knows what will be this season. But I do not see Angels in contention.
It’s all well and good, but if the Angels are in the basement in July and the Yankees (for example) are ready to take on his contract, he’ll waive the clause.
He’s not asking for a trade, but his words indicate to me he probably wouldn’t reject a trade to the right team. Maybe to his favorite team growing up, the Phillies, or the team, the Yankees, that had his favorite player when growing up (Derek Jeter) and who heavily scouted him in high school, or perhaps a trade to the Dodgers since he could stay out west. The last is the least likely to happen as no way Moreno would do it.
Poor Mike Trout, he doesn’t realize that he’s on one of the window dressing teams.
He needs to whine until he gets traded so he can be a “winner”.
The satisfaction of winning there may be greater for him (not that he really knows for sure because he’s never been on another team or won with LAA), but ultimately only so much of that has anything to do with him. He may want to keep his end of the bargain (for the fans as much as anyone else probably) but have they really kept their end? You can say they tried but they repeatedly make terrible decisions. The past is the best indication of the future. I know he isn’t the type but his position could be used to push for change…for the sake of the whole fanbase and organization. Someone needs to speak out against their decision makers. Only so much can be overlooked. They don’t live in the real world. If they did Ohtani would’ve been traded and they’d stop handing out these huge contracts and spread some money around instead. I commend them for spending but you need brains (and a sense of reality) to go with the deep pockets.
He could ask to be traded to the Pirates. They actually have betting odds to make the playoffs. With a team payroll of 67 million.
I’m glad/sad Mike got a full no trade, sad that there is no chance he would never become a Pirate.. not that the pirates would take on that kind of salary.. i’d just like to be able to watch him play with out it elbowing in to my time watching the pirates.
Hey Mike, take the easy way out brother ! Taaaake it!!! You’ll be happier in the end
I really don’t think he’s that’s tradeable. He’s aging, defense slipping, injuries every season. And at 35aav. They aren’t getting much for him unless they pay half that contract. It’s too late, he needed to leave there 5 years ago.
Who can’t feel bad for this guy. I’m an Angels fan and even I want something better for this guy.
Trout might want to think twice about loyalty. It’s a nice virtue but Arte doesn’t share that. Manfred desperately wants to make MLB international. When Arte bought the Angels 20 years ago I made the comment that he would eventually move the Angels to Mexico, either Monterey or Mexico City. Do not think for one instance that Arte has not considered that and that he would move immediately given the money and the opening to do so. He has no loyalty to Anaheim after the City Council demolished his plans to buy Angels Stadium and develop the land around it.
Moreno failed this man, and Trout, bless him, is saying the right things, but he deserves to win. Moreno should try to trade him to Philly if he wants to do the right thing.
Trout doesn’t have the same drive as Ohtani, more like Rendon.
It’s been evident for a long time that Trout is comfortable as a loser while making a crap load of money, and now he’s hurt all the time. He’s not a very appealing player, at least not to me.
The rest of league should be glad that a premier market team shoots themselves in the foot each year.
Lots of angles with MT and this ball club. Was surprised when he went all-in with that long contract. Understand the money and the weather but really, whatever he got from whomever was going to be enough money for a lifetime.
As far as his health going forward goes, plug him in as DH only and get someone(s) to work with him on a different health/workout regime. He probably wouldn’t like that though.
Absolutely as* of mine comment by Trout. He should be in Win mode now mindset even it means joining another playoff caliber team which it does. Top 5 player in the Majors and has been for the last decade but Ohtani wants to win and Trout doesn’t and claims he is being loyal to the Angels. Yeh ok lol
Worst case of stockholm syndrome I’ve ever seen in baseball lol
@secretsatan sad,but true… pretty funny actually. I like Trout, but of course… what else is there for him to say?
If he said what you said, he’d be in my personal HOF already, heh!
Hey man it’s his career
Mike trout and $75 million to Yankees for Stanton.
Pitiful. Management, as usual, is lying to Trout. He would be wise to get out earlier rather than later, unless Arte leaves, but no guarantee that there won’t be a crimcap in charge then too.