Angels Rumors: What Does a Mike Trout Trade Even Look Like?

The former MVP could be on the move this winter.

As the offseason gets going for the Angels, they have some big decisions to make. Once again they missed the postseason, and their long playoff drought continued.

So, the team is now tasked with figuring out how to proceed to get the team back into contention. It is expected that two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani will leave the team this winter, but they have another player that could be moved, Mike Trout.

Trout has been with the Angels his entire career, but with all of the losing, this could be the winter that he says enough is enough. His contract does make things tough in terms of a trade, but there has been a ton of buzz surrounding the possibility of him being moved this offseason.

So, if the team were to move on from Trout, what would a trade look like?

Well, first it would include the Halos sending a decent amount of money to whatever team trades for the former MVP to cover costs. He is owed $35.4 million each year through 2030, so there may be a good amount of teams that will stay away from a deal. But if the Angels agreed to pay some of his salary going forward, a deal could present itself.

Additionally, Trout will also be 32 when next season starts, so some teams may not want him due to his age. He isn’t the same player as he was a few years ago, but still could provide a very quality bat for a lineup

We also could see the Halos moving another player to shed more salary as well. One example could be starters, Tyler Anderson or Patrick Sandoval. If they are moving on from Trout, it would likely mean them entering into a rebuild, so any money saved would be beneficial down the line.

The Angels would likely require at least one strong prospect back for Trout, and it would probably take two or three middle-of-the-pack ones as well. 

A similar deal could look like what the New York Mets paid to get Francisco Lindor from Cleveland years ago.

The Angels won’t get the true value in return if they decide to trade Trout, but they could get some nice pieces to put toward their future. They could use all the help they can get, and moving on from his large contract could be the first step to them getting back into contention.