Angels Rumors: Insider Proposes Blockbuster Trade to Send Mike Trout to NL West Squad

Will Trout head up the coast to the Bay Area?

Will Mike Trout be wearing another uniform next year? 

According to one writer from Bleacher Report, this seems like a distinct possibility. 

Writer Joel Reuter put together a list of potential trades we could see this offseason. One of them involves the Halos' franchise player Mike Trout and a team just up the coast in another league. 

Four wild MLB trade ideas we’d love to see come true in the offseason 👀 @JoelReuterBR

Could you see any of these happening? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/hdWlXpb4DY

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 26, 2023

According to Reuter, here's the potential deal he came up with: 

Angels get: OF Mitch Haniger, RHP Carson Seymour, LHP Kyle Harrison

Giants get: OF Mike Trout, $95 million

This would be a major blockbuster in a number of ways. For one, it would signal a complete rebuild in Los Angeles. The Angels likely wouldn't re-sign Shohei Ohtani if the team opted to get off of Mike Trout's contract.

Even more than that, they'd be trading the face of their franchise -- and in some respects the face of baseball -- for three players. On TOP of that, the Halos in this scenario would be facilitating the deal by ponying up nearly $100 million to make the financial implications of the deal for the Giants palatable. 

According to Reuter, the Angels could opt to trade Trout only in the event Ohtani signs elsewhere. Trout still has $260 million left on a deal that will pay him for the next seven years. 

FAVORITES TO ACQUIRE TROUT (per BetOnline.ag): 

Los Angeles Dodgers: 3/1

San Francisco Giants: 4/1

New York Mets: 5/1

New York Yankees: 6/1

Philadelphia Phillies: 6/1

Harrison would be the focal point in this hypothetical deal. He's universally regarded as a Top 25 prospect in baseball. The left-hander has above-average stuff, and could be a future front-of-the-rotation arm.

Haniger is a journeyman outfielder with some pop, and Seymour is a sinkerball pitcher with flexibility as both a starter and as a reliever. 

Is this really the best deal LA can get for Trout? At this point -- should the Angels opt to trade Trout -- the money owed, along with his injury history could lead to a somewhat underwhelming package. 

Unfortunately for the Halos, if they do want to hit the reset button, they might have no choice but to take what they can get. The risk of Trout continuing to get hurt as he gets older and more expensive could hurt his trade value even further.