Angels biggest trade chip is why they won't move Mike Trout

As the Los Angeles Angels chug along towards what seems like yet another last-place finish in the AL West, the Mike Trout trade rumors are starting to swirl. While he might not be back at the tippy-top of his peak, the 34-year-old is healthy and playing like a superstar, posting a .260/.429/.550 line with 11 homers over 37 games.

That's led ESPN to suggest that the biggest thing that needs to change with the Angels is the city that Trout plays in. It's a bittersweet proposition for Angels fans not only because parting with Trout would hurt emotionally, but the reality of the situation is that Los Angeles wouldn't actually get that much back for him.

Trout's lengthy injury history doesn't just go away because he's been good and healthy for a handful of weeks. His age doesn't change either. Most importantly, any club taking on his contract would be adding $148.4 million to its books after this season.

The fact of the matter is that Trout still has more value to the Halos than he does elsewhere. He's still a draw for the fans, who might otherwise pack it in if he were sent out to greener pastures. More importantly, the club has a different trade chip that they can use to get a solid return and protect Trout better moving forward. That chip would be Jorge Soler.

The Angels can get more value out of trading Jorge Soler

Coming into 2026, the Angels desperately needed a bounce-back campaign from Soler. The veteran DH suffered through an injury-plagued 2025 season where his trademark power was seriously diminished.

Now healthy, his .238/.342/.475 line with 8 homers through 34 games, is more or less in line with what he's done over the course of his career. Is he a star? No. But if you're a team shopping for some right-handed thump at the trade deadline, Soler is a pretty solid option.

His contract is what makes him hold more value than Trout. A free agent at the end of the season, any team that trades for Soler will be taking on a little less than half of his $13 million salary. Bang for your buck-wise, it doesn't get much better than that for a contender.

Soler is no stranger to getting dealt at the deadline, with Bleacher Report predicting that he'll once again be traded to his preferred Perry Minasian trade partner, the Atlanta Braves, come July.

Moving on from Soler would then open up the DH spot for Trout. As good as he's been at the plate, Trout's return to center field hasn't exactly been smooth. Yet another poor roster-building decision from Minasian forced Trout back out there, but with an open DH spot, it makes all the sense in the world to move Trout there to preserve his body.

Keeping Trout healthy is still the most important thing the Angels can do, and in trading Soler, they could get a nice little prospect haul back to help with the rebuild.

Mike Trout the name still has a lot of cache, but Mike Trout the player holds minimal value on the trade market for all the reasons the Angels have been disappointed by in the past. Trading Soler and protecting Trout is the clear best path forward for LA.

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