Mike Trout Appears to Be Pushing Angels Owner Arte Moreno to Sign Specific Free Agent

Will he get his wish?

The Los Angeles Angels have had a relatively quiet offseason.

Their biggest acquisition was free agent right-hander Robert Stephenson, who the team signed to a three-year, $33 million deal. Unfortunately, he's about to start the season on the injured list with a shoulder injury.

Aside from Stephenson, they haven't made any major acquisitions. They've added six relievers to major league deals, and outfielder Aaron Hicks on the veteran minimum. After that, it's a bunch of minor league deals.

On the flip side, the Angels have suffered their fair share of losses, headlined by two-way star Shohei Ohtani.

But they've also seen Hunter Renfroe, Randal Grichuk, Mike Moustakas and Gio Urshela find new homes, among more 2023 players.

There is still time for the Angels to make a free agent splash, and there's plenty of high-end talent remaining even with Opening Day just 10 days away — and it appears Mike Trout has his eyes on some of that talent.

Trout recently spoke with Jon Heyman of the New York Post, and reportedly told him he's pushing Angels owner Arte Moreno to add a big-name free agent before the season gets underway.

"I was actually just in Tempe," Heyman said, "and Mike Trout said to me he's still trying to pitch in there to get some more players. He's optimistic about their young team, but he's certainly talking to Arte Moreno, the Angels owner, and other higher ups there about bringing in more talent."

The biggest remaining free agents are Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, who would each fill a huge need in the Angels' rotation, but Heyman said Trout seemed to have someone else on his mind.

“He specifically mentioned ‘Hey, there are guys out there with 30 home runs,'" Heyman said. "Well, that had to be J.D. Martinez. So you know who he wants for the Angels."

J.D. Martinez is coming off an All-Star season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he hit 33 home runs and drove in 103 RBIs. And yet, the five-time All-Star designated hitter remains a free agent with Opening Day almost here.

While there have been reports that the Angels want to keep the DH spot open to allow rest for Trout and Anthony Rendon, it would also be hard to argue with adding an All-Star slugger like Martinez into the lineup.

Martinez isn't exactly Ohtani, but he put up numbers that are pretty close in 2023, and would cost a fraction of the price. He also is said to like the idea of playing for the Angels.

So, the Angels could at least replace some of the offensive production they lost with Ohtani by adding someone like Martinez — and they could replace the other half with someone like Snell. But that's a conversation for another time.