Angels Insider Pushes Back On Potential Mike Trout Trade Speculation

A sigh of relief for Halos fans.

The baseball world was sent into a big hypothetical on Friday evening when a bombshell rumor was put out involving the Los Angeles Angels. 

A report from MLB insider Hector Gomez came out that said the crosstown Los Angeles Dodgers were interested in signing Shohei Ohtani and then trading for Angels star Mike Trout. This would pair the duo back up in Los Angeles.

It's been no secret that the Dodgers have a major interest in landing Ohtani on the free agent market, but getting Trout as well would sting. However, Angels insider Sam Blum seemed to throw cold water on the idea on Saturday afternoon. 

Angels GM Perry Minasian said Mike Trout was going to be on the Angels next season.

Mike Trout (who has a full no-trade clause) said he’ll be on the Angels next season.

Anything can happen, but I think that information is important context since this report went viral. https://t.co/rIs8zCPtHb

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) November 18, 2023

Angels fans can breathe easy once again. It was always a long shot for this to happen, but it seems that it may not whatsoever. The Angels seem to be intent on building their next few years around Trout, and he likely feels the same way.

The contract of Trout is a major roadblock for any potential deal, not just with the Dodgers. And the Halos would need to pick up a big part of the future salary for a deal to occur, which is something that they likely wouldn't agree to.

Owner Arte Moreno would have never agreed to deal Trout to the Dodgers, even if their prospect return would have been strong. LA has the prospects to make a deal happen, and it would likely stock the Angels up well going forward, but the stubbornness of Moreno would have gotten in the way.

We can never count anything out during the MLB offseason, but this always felt somewhat like a pipedream. The Angels have a ton of important decisions to make this winter, but moving Trout doesn't seem to be on their list.