Mike Trout spoke to reporters on Monday. The takeaways were simple: he's happy in Anaheim, and he wants the Los Angeles Angels' front office to operate aggressively.
The 11-time All-Star encouraged ownership to sign one of the major free agents left on the market, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, but that doesn't guarantee results. Unfortunately for the Angels, happiness is a fickle friend. It can vanish in an instant — it almost always does over time.
If Los Angeles doesn't place more star power next to Trout, he conveniently left the door open for a future trade.
Mike Trout spoke to reporters today. He said he’s been pushing ownership to make more additions, but said he wasn’t sure if it would happen.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) February 19, 2024
On the trade front — he said he’s happy being in Anaheim right now. But left open a possibility that he’d be open to trade down the line.
Trout is a complicated figure as far as trade speculation is concerned. He has a full no-trade clause, for one. He's also 32 years old, signed through his age-38 season. On one hand, great — team control! On the other hand, Trout comes with more than his share of injury baggage. He only managed 82 games and 362 plate appearances for the Angels last season.
He is due an average of $35.6 million annually on his current contract. That is a major commitment for even the most financially liquid MLB teams. That said, Trout is an all-time great and, when healthy, he's still a top-tier bat. The list of suitors would be long accordingly.
Here are a few logical fits if Trout does eventually ask out.
5. Padres can land Mike Trout as next big splash
The San Diego Padres have been one of the most aggressive front offices in the MLB in recent years. The Juan Soto trade signals a desire to cut costs and reassess, but we know that when push comes to shove, A.J. Preller is comfortable tossing his hat in the ring for superstar talent. Landing Trout is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for most franchises.
Even with Soto gone and Blake Snell on his way out the door, San Diego has a ton of talent on the roster. The top of their lineup — Ha-Seong Kim, Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado — packs one hell of a punch. That is amplified tenfold with Trout in the mix. He's still a positive presence in centerfield, too, plugging straight into a position of need for San Diego.
The Padres' willingness to spend big, combined with their convenient location right down the California coast, makes them a real threat to land Trout when (if) the time comes. Last season was a thorough disappointment for the Padres, but that's the cost of front office aggression. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but the attempt matters. It's better to swing big and miss than to never swing in the first place.
One has to believe Trout would appreciate the front office's track record, as well as the immense offensive talent already on the roster. The Padres need to revive the bullpen with Snell out the door, but that could be handled by the time Trout arrives.
4. Giants can trade for Mike Trout to keep pace with Dodgers
The San Francisco Giants are stuck in a rather lopsided arms race with their division rivals in Los Angeles. It has been a productive offseason for Pete Putila and the front office, with Jung Hoo Lee, Robbie Ray, and Jorge Soler all landing sizable contracts. The Giants aren't done either: Matt Chapman and every major free agent has been tied to San Francisco on some level.
That said, maybe the Giants' next big fish is a year or two down the line. The dude's name is Trout, after all. The Dodgers are set to run away with the NL West for the forseeable future. It would take a sizable shift in the landscape to make the Dodgers at least a little worried. Well, Trout represents such a shift. He's still one of the best position players in baseball at full strength.
The Giants need another source of power in the middle of their lineup. Trout finished last season in the 95th percentile for hard-hit percentage (51.9). He's still smacking the cover off baseballs. The positional fit is mildly complicated with Lee now cemented in centerfield, but Trout should be able to switch to left or right field without issue.
It's time for another west-coast team to truly stand up to the Dodgers' tyranny. Ohtani, Yamamoto, Hernandez, Glasnow, Kershaw — it's too much. The Giants are clearly trying to reverse their fortunes under new manager Bob Melvin, but the free agent market is mercurial at best. If Trout expresses an openness to relocating to San Francisco, the Giants need to pounce.
3. Yankees can do the Yankees thing and acquire Mike Trout
The New York Yankees are always in the mix for the true game-changers. Shohei Ohtani was stuck on the west coast, but Juan Soto? We know the drill. If the Angels float Trout — or Trout demands out publicly — the Yankees will be the first team on the phone. It doesn't take a particularly skilled GM to point to Aaron Judge and Juan Soto and say, "hey man, we're the New York frickin' Yankees."
Stars will always gravitate toward the bright lights of New York and those pinstripes. Judge, Soto, and Trout instantly becomes the most comically overpowered outfield trio in league history. The Yankees' offense goes from their borderline anemic status in 2023 to the top of MLB projections. Why not put three of the best hitters in modern baseball history all on the same team?
This isn't a particularly thrilling outcome for non-Yankee fans in an era coming to be defined by superteams. Baseball will always have more parity in the playoffs than other sports, but it's easy to imagine the Dodgers and Yankees cake-walking to the World Series next season. That's great for the baseball business, but it's a little tame and predictable. That said... we all are a little curious to see Trout, Judge, and Soto hit back-to-back-to-back. We are but only human.
New York has the spending power and market size to move Trout across the country. Trout has never really obtained true villain status in Los Angeles. The Angels haven't been good enough. The Yankees can give him a taste of the dark side.
2. Dodgers can do the Dodgers thing and acquire Mike Trout
The Los Angeles Dodgers spent over $1 billion this offseason. What's another few hundred million? We heard the Trout-Dodgers rumors earlier in the winter. It's almost too easy. He wouldn't have to leave Anaheim. It's a simple commute, across town, on a team destined to win a ton of games. It's past time for Trout to win in the playoffs, which is presumably his primary goal in the event of a trade. The Dodgers assure him the best opportunity to do so.
Obviously the Angels would be... hesitant to pair Trout and Ohtani once again with their more glamorous LA counterparts. That said, Trout has the power to eventually express his displeasure with the Angels' situation. And, once he does that, his no-trade clause will provide control over the ultimate destination. The Dodgers are somehow the No. 3 farm system in baseball, on top of the boatload of talent on the MLB roster. So, it's not as if the Dodgers can't furnish the Angels with a suitable compensatory package.
We have spent all winter imagining the Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani trio atop the Dodgers' lineup. Now, plug Trout into the mix and weep (or celebrate, depending on your persuasion). It would certainly be a sight to behold. The Dodgers would match the Braves and Phillies for power, and then some. I'm not sure any pitching staff can credibly claim to have the solution for Los Angeles' offense at that point.
Trout has made it clear he's fond of doing things the hard way — or at least not taking the easiest possible route to success. That's why he's sticking in Anaheim for now, and why he could balk at the idea of making the rich richer across town. But, if Trout truly wants to add a World Series title to his incomparable resumé, of course the Dodgers are his best shot.
1. Phillies can bring Mike Trout home
The financial ramifications of Mike Trout's contract are difficult for any team. It's especially tough for the Philadelphia Phillies, who already have a metric ton of long-term, non-deferred money tied up in Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, and Aaron Nola, among others. Trout is signed through 2030 at a massive salary number. He would hamstring the Phillies' budget significantly. Philadelphia doesn't have the best farm system either, so there's no real way to get a deal across the finish line without eating the contract, as FanSided's Mark Powell pointed out.
That said, the door is officially open — and that's enough to ponder, or even endorse the idea of Trout landing in his hometown. The Phillies are coming off back-to-back NLCS appearances. While the Harper-era Phils haven't gotten over the World Series hump yet, it's clear Philadelphia has the talent and poise to win at the highest level. For all the talk about Atlanta and Los Angeles, the Phillies have actually been on the doorstep two years in a row. That counts for something.
Philadelphia's lineup features an endless stream of potent power-hitters. Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos. There is pop aplenty. Trout adds another power source to the mix, while also offering a heaping ton of walks and base-running opportunities. He strikes out a fair amount — and the Phillies are a little too familiar with strikeout-prone sluggers — but there's no point in nitpicking Trout's historically great talent. Front to back, the Phillies' lineup would be the most intimidating in baseball.
He also fits right into the Phillies' weakest positional spot, replacing Johan Rojas' compromised bat in centerfield. Heck, Rojas could serve as a swell foundation for the Trout return package. The Phillies aren't devoid of interesting young talent.
In the end, this accomplishes Trout's goal of contending while also bringing him back to his roots. One has to imagine Trout has a soft spot for the Phillies organization if he does decide to work his way out of Los Angeles.