Amidst Angels’ Underwhelming Season Start, Is a Mike Trout Trade Inevitable? Los Angeles Team Heads Toward Disaster

With each passing year watching Mike Trout play becomes even more tragic. This is a player who was widely hailed as the greatest of his generation. The kind of player that inspires thousands to take up baseball. To see him struggle with the Los Angeles Angels who barely compete for the 4th place in its division just feels wrong. But then, that’s how loyalty goes – you rise with your team and fall with it. But isn’t it just bandaging over wounds instead of a total surgery?

After all, while Trout’s deal extends till 2030 the recent display by the Halos shows that the team is still far from being competitive. The fact that the 3x MVP hit a homer while the Anaheim Angels lost 11-3 to the Baltimore Orioles perfectly reflects everything wrong with this relationship. So while the Millville Meteor keeps talking about the “satisfaction” of winning in Anaheim, every passing year a trade seems like the best bet.

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side

Whenever a player leaves their home team for a winner, the fans of his previous team aren’t pleased. Case in point look at Shohei Ohtani. The ex-Angels superstar decided to move to the Los Angeles Dodgers simply because – they know how to win. While most fans understood his desire, there were more than a few Angels who felt betrayed. After all, baseball is a romantic sport and is there anything greater than pulling your first team to the World Series? 

But then, if we’ve seen anything from Trout’s journey it’s that a single player cannot change the trajectory of his team. Remember between Shotime and King Fish, they held 5 MVP awards. But what do they have to show for it? Zero playoffs for Ohtani and only three games for Trout. Against all odds, the Anaheim Angels managed to have two of the greatest players of their generation at the same time and fumbled it harder than DC did with Batman vs Superman.

In an interview with The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Mike Trout claimed that hearing the rumors of his trade “fuels” him more. Like a true ballplayer Trout is romantic and wants to win with the Halos. But this is a team that just had back-to-back 73-win seasons and hasn’t had a winning record since 2017. 

If Trout says that he only focuses on “winning” then that makes a trade an even more logical step. The Halos don’t seem interested in spending big anymore and trading Trout would just save more of their money. 

Read more: Mike Trout Accepts Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers Turn, Lauds Two-Way Phenom in First Rival Meeting

Could a trade prove to be a win-win for Mike Trout and the Angels?

Mike Trout’s contract has a strict no-trade clause. As a result, the only way for him to get traded is if he feels like leaving. While the superstar has rejected these notions before, this year he sort of left the doors open for a future trade. At 32, Trout should technically have a lot of left in the tank. But it cannot be denied that his body isn’t as resilient as it used to be. With injuries taking their toll, he has only a few elite years left in him.

A trade would not only allow Trout to capitalize on this window but also complete his legacy. Playing the postseason would only reinforce the greatness of the Millville Meteor. On the other hand, the Angels will no doubt get some topmost players in exchange. That would only benefit the team in the long run. Perhaps that’s why despite strong denials, the noise of a possible trade keeps getting louder. It just makes too much sense.

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