Crafting Hypothetical Trade Proposal for Phillies to Land Mike Trout

Here is a hypothetical trade proposal for the Philadelphia Phillies to land Mike Trout

May 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) reacts after being called out on strikes against the Toronto Blue Jays in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are fighting their way back toward the .500 mark, but there is still plenty of work to do. 

Despite losing their last two games, the Phillies have been playing much better of late. Since moving on from Rob Thomson, the team has a record of (8-3) and has finally been living up to expectations. 

While there has been a significant improvement, the team still has a couple of glaring holes in their lineup. Even though players like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh are having good seasons, the team is in desperate need of a right-handed batter in the middle of the order. 

At this point, there are no clear internal options for the team to improve in that area, and it will likely have to be a trade that gets it done. One player who makes sense for them is Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout. Here is a hypothetical deal to get a trade done for the Phillies. 

Phillies Receive: Mike Trout, $70 Million

Angels Receive: Justin Crawford

Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Due to Trout being owed just over $37 million per year for the next four years following this season, any potential deal for him will have to come with some money from the Angels. Even though he has performed well this campaign, it wasn’t too long ago that his contract was deemed unmovable. 

In this proposal, Los Angeles might be sending quite a bit of cash to Philadelphia, along with Trout, to help facilitate the deal, but they are getting a really good young player in Crawford in return. 

The Angels have one of the worst farm systems in baseball, and getting a young player like Crawford would at least provide them with a talented youngster who is already performing in the majors. 

For the Phillies, landing Trout would give them the right-handed power bat that they desperately need in the lineup. While there would be some significant risk to this deal, with the window of opportunity to win perhaps closing, this could be a last-ditch effort to try and win. 

Overall, this would be a major move if it happened, but it makes sense for both sides. The Angels would free up quite a bit of money even with helping eat some of the contract, and they also get a talented young player who can start right away. For the Phillies, landing a healthy Trout could be a massive addition and one that could fix their lineup woes.