MLB Rumors: Red Sox extension, Mike Trout's options, Blake Snell's alternative
- Red Sox discussing extension with young starting pitcher
- Mike Trout's options for Angels future
- Blake Snell's non-Yankees suitors
MLB Rumors: Mike Trout's options for Angels future
Mike Trout has spent his entire 13-year Hall of Fame career with the Los Angeles Angels, performing like one of the best outfielders in MLB history. While he's won virtually any individual award a player can want, he's missed out on the elusive trophy every MLB player covets. The Commissioner's Trophy. What's worse is that the Angels have made the playoffs a grand total of one time with Trout on the roster. They got swept in the 2014 ALDS by the Kansas City Royals.
Not only have the Angels failed to make the playoffs since 2014, but they have not even put together a winning season since 2015. Even with the Angels' ineptitude, Trout has been nothing but loyal to the only franchise he's ever known. He's under contract through the 2030 season, and has made it abundantly clear that he's not looking to wear another uniform right now.
Trout said at Spring Training that he does not want to be traded, calling it the easy way out. While Trout is absolutely right to say that it'd be the easy way out, who would really blame him for wanting to be traded? He's given more than a decade to this franchise that has rewarded him with mostly nothing. The Angels had some semblance of hope when Shohei Ohtani was on the team, but now that he's gone, what is there for Trout to stay for?
The path for the Angels to win in the near future is virtually impossible to see from a rational lens. Their starting rotation was subpar with Ohtani, and they've done nothing to improve it since Ohtani left. Their lineup was average last season with Ohtani putting up one of the best offensive seasons in franchise history, and the best position player they've signed this winter is Aaron Hicks. Can things change if the Angels sign Jordan Montgomery or Cody Bellinger like Trout wants? Maybe, but they're still nowhere near a playoff team.
Trout wants to be with the Angels for now to try and win with them, but also made it clear that if things don't turn around, he might be open to a trade in the future. Trout wants to be loyal, and his first choice would be to win with the Angels. If things don't change, and there's every reason to believe that's the case, he also wants to win. He'll almost certainly have better luck elsewhere. Perhaps his hometown Phillies can find a way to lure him back home?