Multiple trade rumors surfaced in recent months around Angels center fielder Mike Trout after another disappointing season for the team as a whole.
Regardless, Trout indicated his commitment to the organization as he’s done for the majority of his career despite another rough year at the Big A for 2023.
A broken wrist bone suffered back in July ultimately ended Trout’s season prematurely for yet another campaign.
A three-time recipient of the AL MVP award, the star outfielder managed just 82 games in his most recent showing and prompted questions about his future with the franchise.
Since his MVP season in 2019, Trout hasn’t managed a fully healthy year from 2020 to this most current year.
Finding a trade becomes even harder when you factor in both Trout’s age over 30 and his price tag given his shaky durability in recent years.
Teams likely won’t chomp at the bit to acquire the pricey veteran as a result of these reasons, meaning that Trout’s place in Anaheim is likely here to stay.
If Arte Moreno ultimately decides on dealing the best player in franchise history, coming up with a price won’t be easy either.
When healthy Trout remains one of the best players in the game and 2023 wasn’t any different.
In half a season’s worth of work, Trout still slugged 18 homers and would’ve kept a nearly 6 WAR season over a full 162-game schedule.
Anaheim won’t just have the Trout question to answer as the future of manager Phil Nevin, Shohei Ohtani’s impending free agency and determining if the front office truly has the team’s best interest in mind.