Phillies Target Mike Trout Chances to Get Traded 'Even Less Likely' Now

An MLB insider questions if the Philadelphia Phillies dream target will ever get moved.

Apr 24, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) hits / Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

Playing against the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game set, Philadelphia Phillies fans only got to watch Mike Trout in one game due to him injuring his knee. Trout will undergo surgery on his knee to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee.

The expectation is for the recovery to take around two to three months, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. It's been an unfortunate past few seasons for arguably the greatest player in baseball history.

A dream target for the Phillies, Trout has missed more games than he's played in from 2021 to 2023 and is on track to do the same in 2024. While the talent and career numbers are undeniable, it's tough to avoid the injuries he's dealt with for the past four years.

Still, if the New Jersey native and Philadelphia sports fanatic became available prior to this, it's almost certain that Dave Dombrowski would do whatever he needed to do to get a deal done. Dombrowski makes any move he can to better the roster and when you factor in the business decision to bring in someone as well-known in the area as Trout, it's a no-brainer.

However, at some point, enough is enough. And the risk, simply, just isn't worth it.

According to Rosenthal, a trade "now seems even less likely" for the Angels star.

Rosenthal wrote that for a trade to have happened, multiple things would've needed to take place. Those include Los Angeles to be a bad team, Trout to return to MVP form, and owner Arte Moreno actually moving Trout.

Moreno, who decided to not move Shohei Ohtani at the deadline last year, has made wrong move after wrong move. Instead of getting a historic haul, they got the No. 74 pick in the 2024 MLB draft.

While Moreno didn't move Ohtani, it's uncertain his plans for Trout. The return won't be what it once was, but there's still value there, despite the injuries. Unfortunately, however, the likelihood of him staying with the Angels is a reality.

"Trout, in the wake of his latest injury, is moving into similar territory. More than ever, he seems destined to remain Mr. Angel," Rosenthal wrote. "As good as his intentions might have been, that’s a very sad thing to say."