There may be a Mike Trout trade and an Angels rebuild.
According to USA Today, the Angels are willing to trade for Trout if he wants to leave Los Angeles because Shohei Ohtani is anticipated to go in free agency, albeit for less than was initially anticipated before his right UCL tear.
That is undoubtedly a significant caveat, but if Trout were willing to be traded, the outlook for the upcoming summer would shift since, outside Ohtani, the free-agent position-player class lacks excitement.
Even though Trout is no longer the undisputed best player in baseball, he is still an exceptional talent and would improve any lineup when healthy.
The Yankees, who were interested in drafting Trout, could use some help in the outfield. Trout has been associated with the Phillies for a while because of his love of Philadelphia, its sports teams, and his South Jersey heritage.
Despite having a no-trade clause, Trout recently stated that he planned to discuss the future of the team with organizational decision-makers.
According to the Orange County Register, he declined to comment on whether he would request a trade.
Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout could both be ex-Angels this offseason.
According to Trout, “you obviously have to talk about it and think about it when it’s brought up in the offseason,” according to the Orange County Register. “I haven’t given it any thought yet.
In the winter, there will undoubtedly be some conversations. merely to ascertain the general course of events and the proposed strategy.
Trout was selected by the Angels in the first round of the 2009 MLB Draft, and he has spent his entire brilliant career with them.
Nevertheless, despite his brilliance, he has only participated in three postseason games, all of which were in 2014.
To advance to the World Series, the Royals swept the Angels in their American League Division Series.
Trout, who turned 32 in August, might prefer to focus on winning in the postseason.
Trout’s prospective trade by the Angels signals a potentially radical change in strategy for a team that has unsuccessfully pursued glory with Trout and Ohtani.
The Angels will have missed the postseason throughout the pair’s six years together despite having two MVPs on their roster.
Despite numerous front-office failures, owner Arte Moreno and the company have – maybe obstinately — refused to demolish it.
If the Angels had ever been willing to trade Trout or Ohtani, they could have started a new rebuild with a wealth of top prospects, but they instead continued on with no apparent progress.
The Angels will now undoubtedly lose Ohtani and will only get a third-round pick in exchange.
And despite his greatness, Trout’s value has decreased over the years as a result of injuries that have hampered his availability.
Despite numerous front-office failures, owner Arte Moreno and the company have – maybe obstinately — refused to demolish it.
If the Angels had ever been willing to trade Trout or Ohtani, they could have started a new rebuild with a wealth of top prospects, but they instead continued on with no apparent progress.
The Angels will now undoubtedly lose Ohtani and will only get a third-round pick in exchange.
And despite his greatness, Trout’s value has decreased over the years as a result of injuries that have hampered his availability.