As Angels Pursue Alonso, Could Trout Become Trade Option For Philadelphia Phillies?

The Philadelphia Phillies could make a push for their dream trade target.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking into creative ways to improve this winter after a playoff run coming off their most successful regular season in over a decade ended a whole lot quicker than they were hoping.

With the bats largely dying in the biggest moments of the last three playoff runs, Dave Dombrowski knew he had to shake some things up in the lineup, but outside of a Max Kepler signing, which didn't exactly knock the socks off Phillies fans, meaningful changes to the lineup have not been made.

To their credit, Philadelphia was aggressive in the pursuit of Jesús Luzardo and doubled down on what was already one of the best rotations in baseball, but the lineup remains largely the same.

With rumors of Alec Bohm being dealt prevalent throughout the early portion of the Hot Stove, it at least seemed Dombrowski was serious about making changes. But nearly three months after the Phillies season ended, Bohm remains on the roster, and every day that passes makes it look more and more like they are content with rolling out a lineup which looks largely the same as last year.

But perhaps a piece of news this week could indirectly lead to Philadelphia landing a player who fans have coveted for more than a decade.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported the Los Angeles Angels are "weighing" a pursuit of one of the top free agents available in New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso.

Surely the Phillies would love to see Alonso - who has 17 career home runs against them - in a new division, but it could play out that Philadelphia is a beneficiary of the Angels landing Alonso in more ways than one.

It's no secret the Phillies have desired Mike Trout pretty much since he burst onto the scene in 2012 with an American League Rookie of the Year season that nearly saw him become just the third rookie in MLB history to win an MVP.

Of course, everyone wants a perennial All-Star who, in his heyday, was considered to be one of the best players in the history of the game, so Philadelphia was never alone in their desire. But there's always been the thought the desire may be mutual from the New Jersey native who's a noted Philadelphia Eagles superfan to play for his childhood team.

Having signed a 12-year extension with Los Angeles back in 2019 which contained no opt-outs and kept him under contract until 2030, there was never really an opportunity for the Phillies to make an actual pursuit.

With Trout entering the twilight of his career and the Angels looking to potentially shed salary if they want to make a real push for Alonso, perhaps a trade could be mutually beneficial here.

This would be a huge financial risk since Trout has played a total of just 111 games the past two campaigns and has played in over 100 in a season just twice since signing his contract.

But even in the limited time he's been on the field over the last couple of years, he has still been extremely effective with an OPS of .860 and 28 home runs in those 111 contests.

If Philadelphia is comfortable with the medicals and feels they can still get production out of a player who has been arguably the greatest of this generation, then they should do what it takes to bring him in.

Landing Trout would be a supremely popular move with the fan base, add some desperately needed outfield help, and potentially be the difference maker the lineup needs in order to take it to the next level when things matter most in October.

There are still some major hurdles to clear, but keep a close eye on the rumor mill to see if the Angels could be looking to deal the future Hall of Famer.