If There Was Ever a Time To Trade Mike Trout, It Would Be Now

A tale as old as time itself, the notion the Los Angeles Angels should trade future Hall of Fame outfielder Mike Trout.

Yet, here we are, presented with the scenario again. This time, however, it feels different.

It’s been another year quite like much of Trout’s career for the Angels. Through 38 games, they’re 15-23, tied for the worst record in the American League. While that’s still just 4.5 games back in the AL West, and three back of the wild card, they’re disadvantaged from a roster standpoint.

Even with the emergence of their ace José Soriano, they entered Friday 21st in staff ERA. While tied for 13th in team wRC+, they still are -14 in run differential.

Trout, however, has been awesome. This is nothing new, as the worst season wRC+ since his rookie season was a 120 last year. For the 34-year-old, that’s just nowhere near the standard he’s set. Prior to 2025, his worst wRC+ in a full season was 135 in 2023.

This year, he’s slashing .260/.429/.550 with 11 homers, 23 runs batted in, and a 168 wRC+ across 170 plate appearances. He’s already exceeded or matched his fWAR total of each of the past two seasons, with 1.8 so far in 2026.

But back to the overarching question: why is now the time for the Angels to pull the trigger on a franchise-altering trade? And who is equipped to make such a move?

Stats were taken prior to play on May 8.

Trout Is Healthy

Don’t worry, I’ve already knocked on wood.

Trout’s career, in a lot of ways, is Ken Griffey Jr.-like. Since 2016, he’s only exceeded the 135-game threshold once — 140 in 2018. He’s hit the 130 threshold two additional times, but the point is he’s missed a ton of time over the years.

In fact, that makes his career 89.0 fWAR that much more impressive. He’s done it in 1,685 games. He’s 14th all-time in wRC+ for a career at 166 and 27th in fWAR despite being outside the top 500 in games played.

That’s why he’s a Hall of Famer.

This year, he’s played 37 out of 38 games for the Angels. Not only is he playing, but he’s playing center field again. Last year, he didn’t play an out in center, and only 22 games in right. This year, he’s played 33 games in center.

Has he been a world-beater out there? No. But his being out there is proof of concept of his health.

He’s Crushing the Ball

Average-wise, Trout is several notches below his career marks, let alone his peak. This year, he’s hitting just .260. While a significant improvement from his past two years, it’s 33 points below his .293 career mark.

How he’s returned to elite status as a hitter is he’s slugging well above his career marks. His .290 isolated power — slugging percentage minus batting average — is 14 points above his career average.

His .550 slugging percentage is his highest since 2022, and he’s already nearly halfway to his home run total across 130 games last year. This season started with a bang, homers in his first two games, and he’s maintained that power production since.

Getting a Trout in this form feels like he’s caught a second wind. Unfortunately for the Angels, it’s a similar story as his entire career. They’re just not good enough to win regardless of how he does.

The Angels Need a Facelift

Overall, the lineup is hitting at a league-average pace. However, the organization at large is struggling.

The Angels pitching staff, even with Soriano pitching like a Cy Young candidate, is quite top heavy. Their bullpen in particular has had its issues, ranking 28th in ERA.

Thanks to inconsistent drafting and developing, their farm system is also struggling. This in part due to rushing first-round picks such as Nolan Schanuel and Christian Moore, but also going entire drafts without drafting a position player like 2021.

Not only that, but the decision to hang onto Shohei Ohtani in 2023, and even adding to their roster at that deadline, set them back.

Making Trout expendable, even at his contract, helps bring in young talent. Whether that’s at the major league level or not, at this point, isn’t relevant. But for an organization that once frequented October, they’re staring down the barrel of a 12th consecutive season missing the playoffs.

Any potential salary relief is gravy at that point.

They’ve needed to tear it down for a while, but especially since Ohtani left for the Los Angeles Dodgers. While making Trout a lifer would be great for baseball, it may not be what’s best for the Angels.

What Teams Have the Financial Bandwidth to Bring Trout in?

The obvious answer is the Philadelphia Phillies for several reasons. First off, Trout being a Philadelphia sports fan is well-documented, as someone who frequents Eagles games in the offseason.

Payroll-wise, the Phillies are up against it with a payroll of over $310 million with tax penalties. That said, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski isn’t shy about adding payroll.

The Phillies have a veteran roster, and adding Trout will only make it older. However, it’d be quite the story for them to bring him in and mix him into a lineup with Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.

Beyond the Phillies, there’s are teams like the Cincinnati Reds. While they’re not a team known for spending, they’re a team with an abundance of young pitchers and a ballpark that’d fit Trout’s power-to-all-fields profile. He could settle in as the team’s right fielder, while the Reds absorb some salary and can offer the Angels a myriad of youthful controllable assets.

Other teams in contention this year with the financial resources to pull it off are the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. The Rangers have worked to reduce payroll in recent years after going all out for the 2023 World Series title.

However, the Rangers are half a game out of a playoff spot, and two games of the division lead. Adding someone like Trout creates a far more potent lineup while also infusing some energy into the clubhouse.

As for the Orioles, they’ve already dealt for one Angels outfielder in 2026, Taylor Ward. However, they’re not the potent offense promised in spring training. Adding Trout, who could either DH or play the outfield for them, is another big swing after an offseason that brought Baltimore Pete Alonso.