Angels News: What Would it Take for the New Ownership to Trade Mike Trout?
The Angels are going to look very different over the next couple months.
When Arte Moreno completes the sale of the team, the Angels will be under new ownership for the first time since 2003.
In 2003, the Angels were coming off their first and only World Series title in franchise history. Their opening day lineup included guys like Garrett Anderson and Tim Salmon, with John Lackey on the mound.
And there was a ton of hope that the 2002 title would be a sign of more things to come.
As Moreno gets set to sell the team this season, the Angels are in a very different place.
They've disappointed over the last decade. They've struggled to stay relevant, despite their influx of talent. And they're now looking to set themselves back up for a future of relevance.
So that begs the question: Is there any way the Angels trade Mike Trout?
Trout has been everything for the Angels over the last decade.
He burst onto the scene in 2012, and never looked back.
Over the course of the last 10 years, Trout is a 10x All-Star, 3x AL MVP, 8x Silver Slugger and 2x member of the All-MLB First Team.
He's been undoubtedly one of the best players in all of baseball, and currently sits at 60th all-time with a WAR of 81.4.
Trading a player like Trout feels like it would be insane.
But at the same time, would it?
When the new ownership takes over, they'll have to make a difficult decision with their star player. Would the 31-year-old superstar, who's still owed over $283 million over the next eight years, fit with the new timeline of the Angels?
The short answer is yes. And, moreover, the fact that trading Trout may cause an unnecessary uproar from Angels fans everywhere.
But the long answer may be no. And that trading Trout could help the Angels set themselves up for future relevance.
It won't be an easy decision to make, but the new ownership could feel like a superstar on the wrong side of 30 isn't the best player to build around on a team who hasn't made the playoffs since 2014.
The Angels have proven year in and year out that they can't field a winning team around Trout, and could look to bring in a haul of a return to set themselves up for the near future.
Building around Ohtani could be an option, but think about how much the Angels could recoup by trading both of their superstars and essentially starting over.
I can name 29 teams who would be interested in trading for Ohtani or Trout, as they can turn pretty much any team into a championship contender.
It won't be easy for the new ownership to trade their superstars — and it may be the wrong way of getting fans on your side upon your arrival.
But if they decide that they're more interested in building a winning team in the future — and not just in the present — there's a chance they decide to start over. And step one of starting from scratch would be trading the greatest player in Angels' franchise history.
