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Los Angeles Angels: What Would a Mike Trout Trade Look Like?

By Dylan Smith

CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 09: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before the game against the Chicago White Sox on September 9, 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Angels won 1-0. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 09: Mike Trout #27 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim before the game against the Chicago White Sox on September 9, 2018 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. The Angels won 1-0. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Current Problem

While my opinion represents one way of looking at their dilemma, the Angels need to face the harsh reality of their current situation. Honestly, their current roster is a mess. The Halos will finish the season needing a productive catcher, first baseman, second baseman and third baseman (depending on your opinion of Taylor Ward) and some help in the pitching department.

Just from the pitching point of view, the Angels are in the need of a rejuvenation. While their current group of arms has held their own, it is far from a rotation that will carry them to the playoffs.

In 2018 alone, the Angels have lost Blake Wood, Garret Richards, J.C. Ramirez, Keynan Middleton, and John Lamb to Tommy-John surgery. Shohei Ohtani will likely opt for surgery in the offseason as well.

Matt Shoemaker, Nick Tropeano, Alex Meyer and Tyler Skaggs have also missed significant time in 2018. Talk about a busy season for their team doctors…

While the Angels’ farm system isn’t shallow, it certainly is not teeming with impact talent either.  Add this to their team’s propensity for injuries and we are left to wonder if the Los Angeles Angels will have the roster to compete with the Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics before Trout reaches the open market following the 2020 season.

Now yes, the Angels could solve this issue by extending Trout’s contract. This will allow the club to have the peace of mind of having the best player of his generation in red and white until the end of his Hall of Fame career. At the same time, the Halos have an opportunity to shape the next 10-15 years of their organization with a possible Mike Trout trade.

Trout’s stock has never been higher. Theoretically, the club could trade their superstar this offseason and receive the jackpot in return. They could then switch gears to building their team around their returning two-way star, Shohei Ohtani, for the 2020 season (assuming that he will miss most of 2019 while recovering from Tommy-John surgery).

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