Angels cannot afford to be too deferential to Mike Trout’s wishes anymore

When the dust settles, Mike Trout is going to go down as the greatest player to ever play for the Los Angeles Angels and one of the greatest players of his generation. However, Trout is also going to be remembered for all the injury issues he has dealt with in recent years and will have folks wondering what might have been had he stayed completely healthy. The one thing everyone can agree on is that we are currently witnessing the back-end of Trout's career, and that should change the team's philosophy.

Trout isn't the young cornerstone to build a team around anymore. LA had their chance to do that when they still had Shohei Ohtani, and they didn't do it. Now that Trout is in his mid-30's and coming off several seasons in a row that were ravaged by injuries, he is a veteran with massive upside, but who also cannot be relied upon to stay on the field.

That realization should guide new manager Kurt Suzuki when he is mapping out Trout's usage in the field in 2026. Suzuki recently said that he plans on meeting with Trout upon his arrival at camp to discuss how much Trout is going to play in the outfield. Having that talk is fine, but the Angels just have to keep Trout out of the field as much as is reasonably possible, whether he likes it or not.

Mike Trout may want to play in the outfield, but the Angels' best course is to heavily limit his time out there

Normally, when position switches happen, it is because a player is a bad defender in their current spot. However, that is not the case with Trout. While his defensive metrics have slid in recent years, Trout is still a very serviceable outfield defender who has hovered around average in terms of Outs Above Average the last few years.

Instead, making a concerted effort to get Trout out of the field and playing DH as much as is possible is all about keeping him healthy. Trout is a proud player who takes pride in his work and effort on defense, but that effort is going to put even more miles on that banged-up body that Trout has. By keeping him off his feet when possible, the Angels have a better chance of unlocking Trout's upside at the plate and actually keeping him around all season long.

What happens next is pretty predictable. Suzuki and/or Trout will be asked about that meeting and these defensive questions. Suzuki will say nothing is set in stone and that it was a good, candid talk. Trout will be the company man and play nice while also saying that he thinks he can still be an asset in the field, and he looks forward to proving that.

All of that is theater and doesn't matter. At this point in his career, Trout needs his workload managed if he is going to prolong his tenure in baseball. The Angels not only owe it to their fans to field the best team they can for the entire season, but also to Trout to keep him healthy and productive. If that means saving him from himself, so be it.