Philadelphia Phillies Should Avoid Trading For Mike Trout This Offseason

If Mike Trout becomes available this offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies should stay away.

Aug 2, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (27) in the dugout during the MLB game against the New York Mets at Angel Stadium. / Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

As the Philadelphia Phillies look to finish off the final week of the regular season on a positive note, there is a lot of excitement about what this team can accomplish in October.

The Phillies will be heading into October with one of the most balanced rosters in the league, as they have good starting pitching, a strong lineup, and a talented bullpen. However, winning a World Series is not easy, and Philadelphia knows that. 

If there is a weakness for the Phillies, it would likely be in their outfield, as they had a few players under perform in October last season. 

While the organization will be focused on trying to maximize this campaign and win a World Series, they will also be thinking about the offseason that is coming up quickly. Even though there aren’t many holes on this team, the Phillies will, of course, have some new players on the team in 2025. 

Recently, there has been some speculation that a player who the city of Philadelphia would love to have could potentially be available. As a Phillies fan growing up and a fairly local product in South New Jersey, the idea of Mike Trout coming to Philadelphia has always been a dream.

Even though Trout is one of the most recognizable names in the game and was the best player in baseball for years, recent years have been a struggle. Injuries have unfortunately taken a lot of time away from the former MVP, as he has only played in over 100 games in a season once in the last five years. 

Considering that the Los Angeles Angels have been bad for quite some time, they might want to move on from Trout despite all the success that he has had over the course of his career. The veteran is still owed over $200 million through 2030, and moving a contract like that for an injury-plagued player could be difficult for the Angels. 

Even though bringing Trout to Philadelphia and pairing him with Bryce Harper would be exciting on paper, it wouldn’t be wise for the Phillies. Even though Los Angeles would likely eat a lot of the contract, the slugger hasn’t proved that he can stay healthy anymore. Furthermore, Trout might not even play in the outfield moving forward, as he tries to find ways to stay healthy. 

Adding the former MVP would be a flashy move by Philadelphia, but it most likely wouldn’t help the team next season, and they should avoid the temptation to pursue him if he does become available.