Rating Red Sox-Mike Trout Trade Likelihood With Rumors Flying

Logic doesn't make something likely...

May 12, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) celebrates his double in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Mike Trout coming to the Boston Red Sox is a foreign idea to most Major League Baseball fans, but in some corners of the fan base, that idea has percolated in recent days.

Since Mike Felger of 98.5 The Sports Hub suggested on Tuesday that he had a source claiming Trout to the Red Sox was on the table, the rumor mill has taken its course, even if there hasn't been much other smoke. Felger isn't a typical news breaker, but some of the logic behind why a trade could happen was just believable enough to create hype.

.@mikefelger has a brown-checkmark source that says "don't be surprised" if the Red Sox trade for Mike Trout 🍿@FelgerAndMazz @TonyMassarotti @bigjimmurray @IAmJamesStewart @MaggioreKevin @_JakeSeymour pic.twitter.com/xln3NN2dai

— 98.5 The Sports Hub (@985TheSportsHub) May 12, 2026

We're here to evaluate the possibility of a Trout trade to the Red Sox, but also to talk through the idea as if it were a serious suggestion, because that's half the fun of being a baseball fan -- the hypotheticals.

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Is Trout to Boston likely?

Jun 25, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout (27) reacts after hitting an RBI single during the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

If you're looking for someone to tell you they think future Hall of Famer Mike Trout will join the Red Sox by midseason, you won't find that person here. Even if it finally makes sense for Trout to consider ditching the Angels, his contract ($37.1 million per year through 2030 with a full no-trade clause) is almost impossible for Los Angeles to move.

Ken Rosenthal and Scott Braun of Foul Territory were fairly aggressive about refuting any Red Sox-Trout rumors on Thursday, and that seems to be the industry consensus. It's unclear why Trout would want to waive his no-trade clause to come to Boston of all places, especially if the team remains in disarray over the next few months.

Forget the Red Sox, Mike Trout likely isn't getting traded PERIOD. pic.twitter.com/7ok3pwTpSN

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) May 14, 2026

So with all the context of the situation at hand, we can safely conclude that Trout to Boston is unlikely. But what if we take all the context away and just look at the contracts, rosters, etc.?

Why Red Sox-Trout isn't craziest idea ever... even if unlikely

It's been sneaky fun to just imagine a world where what Felger says is on the money. If the Angels took Jarren Duran and Brayan Bello from the Red Sox, maybe even with Masataka Yoshida included to even out the money in the short term, then Boston might be better off moving forward.

Clearing up the outfield logjam while bringing in a proven veteran power bat would have been the ideal outcome for the Red Sox of either this past offseason or the upcoming trade deadline. It's just hard to see other scenarios in which that would happen.

That makes this idea a fun thought exercise, but no closer to done in reality.