Angels’ Mike Trout gets reality check on his future in Los Angeles originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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There’s no debate that Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is one of the greatest players to ever lace them up. If we look at a pure talent standpoint, Trout is probably one of the best five players ever to play the game.
Trout has been excellent to start the 2026 campaign, and it’s honestly one of the best stories of the year. When Trout is swinging the bat at a high level, baseball is a lot better.
However, moving on from a guy like Trout from the Angels’ perspective doesn’t always make sense, even if they believe they can get a decent return for him right now, as most don’t believe they’re contenders, and much of Trout’s career would suggest that they aren’t.
Despite that, others believe it’s time to do so, even if it isn’t the popular opinion.
“It’s quite possible that Trout will get hurt again, as he has in almost every year since the pandemic season, and obviate any discussion of his trade value. It’s quite probable that Moreno won’t allow GM Perry Minasian to even entertain trade offers. And there’s certainly a chance, albeit small, that Trout’s rally to start 2026 is a mirage — maybe just flukey, maybe a rare time when he’s in such good physical condition that he can remind us of the player he once was, and some minor ailment will bring him back to earth.
“The Angels’ future is bleak with or without him, however. Sometimes trading the best player in the franchise’s history is the right move for the franchise’s future,” Keith Law of The Athletic wrote.
Trout is obviously the greatest player in Angels history, and there’s always going to be teams out there that want a player like him. However, I do think the Angels need to consider some of the downsides of moving on from him, as this could completely gut the franchise if things don’t work out well in the future.
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