Despite the organization's perennial shortcomings, the idea of Mike Trout representing someone other than the Los Angeles Angels has never felt realistic. The superstar outfielder has made his desire to win known, though only with the dysfunctional club he remains unwaveringly committed to.
However, we wouldn't blame Trout for second-guessing his future with the Angels following the team's embarrassing Opening Day defeat to the lowly Chicago White Sox. A rout at the hands of the franchise that set the single-season record for the most losses in MLB history in 2024 (121) is bad enough. But to make matters worse, Los Angeles dared to trot out Nicky Lopez — an infielder — to finish pitching the game.
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Angels embarrassing Opening Day effort should have Mike Trout jumping ship
The Angels signed Lopez off the streets less than a handful of days before facing the White Sox. He was added as a defensive bench utility option. Yet, suddenly, manager Ron Washington called upon him to close out the eighth inning of his first ballgame with Los Angeles.
Kicking off the 2025 campaign with a position player taking the mound is one way to make headlines, albeit for the wrong reasons. Los Angeles is ostensibly already in midseason form, wasting no time making a head-scratching decision, something we've become accustomed to seeing from the inept franchise. In moments like this, you can't help but wonder what's going through Trout's mind, regardless of his well-chronicled loyalty to the Halos.
Lopez only faced two batters, walking White Sox catcher Korey Lee before forcing shortstop Jacob Amaya to fly out. But c'mon, man! You're telling me the Angels couldn't find an arm in the back of their bullpen to do this and save themselves from further humiliation? It's only Opening Day, and everyone's still fresh! Somehow, Los Angeles made Chicago shellacking them 8-1 look even worse, a feat that didn't seem possible.
Trout hasn't run away yet, so it's hard to envision this one-off instance changing his perspective. The Angels haven't so much as sniffed the playoffs over the past decade, with their last postseason appearance coming in 2014. Nonetheless, the three-time MVP has had multiple chances to leave during his illustrious Hall of Fame career and has stuck through it all.
Find someone who stays by your side throughout the highs and the lows the way Trout has with the Angels. Even if the valleys far outweigh the peaks, his allegiance to Los Angeles has never faltered, which is equally commendable and baffling.