Angels should consider dealing Mike Trout
The Los Angeles Angels are sitting at 26-33 and fourth in the American League West going into June 9.
With more than 100 games left in the Major League Baseball regular season, the Angels are out of the playoff race for all intents and purposes, leaving ample time to wonder where the team goes from here.
The Angels have been declining in recent seasons, only making the playoffs once this decade and getting swept out of them by the Kansas City Royals in 2014. Now, the aging core and the bad drafting has caught up with Los Angeles. The team has gotten to the point that general manager Billy Eppler might have to blow the team up and start over, a process that should begin immediately.
Perhaps the easiest way to jumpstart the organization would be to trade Mike Trout. Trout is an incredible talent at the youthful age of 24. Trout is leading the Angels in most categories this season, hitting .309 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI to go with a .413 on-base percentage. He’s one of the best players in baseball, showcasing an amazingly rare balance of defense, speed, power and hitting.
In previous campaigns, Trout has been sublime. Last year, he swatted a career-high 41 home runs and hit .299 with a .404 OBP. While the speed numbers have been going down steadily, the superstar continues to dominate in all facets and along with Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, could bring back the biggest haul of any single player in the game.
Los Angeles has the worst farm system the sport has seen in some time, and with the players on the roster getting proverbially long in the tooth, the Angels are looking at a bleak future. A deal involving Trout would bring back a massive haul of at least three top-tier prospects and another player who ca help the franchise immediately. While the Angels may not want to imagine a lie without Trout, it could be an overall rosier picture.
If Eppler has any excuse not to make this drastic move, it is that the team sheds salary after this season. Los Angeles will get relief in the forms of C.J Wilson, Jered Weaver and Joe Smith, who all come off the books and open up $46 million to spend on younger, impact players. On the flip side, Albert Pujols is already washed up and getting paid until the year 3048, while Josh Hamilton is collecting another $25 million to play against the Angels while with the Texas Rangers.
Los Angeles should make the unimaginable move and restock the farm system by dealing Trout. It will be devastating in the short term, but if Eppler gets the deal right, the Angels will be in much better shape from top to bottom.
