Angels are facing an uncomfortable truth about Mike Trout much sooner than planned

The 2025 season was the first year Mike Trout registered over 500 plate appearances since 2019, and it was a sudden reminder that time may be catching up with him. Trout was still good, hitting 26 home runs with a 120 wRC+, but his wRC+ marked the lowest of his career since he had 135 plate appearances in his debut season.

No, the Los Angeles Angels don't have another Anthony Rendon situation on their hands, but Trout's contract may not age the way they hoped. Earning $37M in each season between now and 2031, the uncomfortable truth is that the Angels will be dramatically overpaying the face of their franchise.

Angels are realizing something uncomfortable about Mike Trout's trajectory ahead of schedule

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller projected the top nightmare contracts across Major League Baseball by 2028, and Trout was one of the contracts mentioned. 2025 was Trout's age-33 season, and one of the biggest concerns was that he struck out 32% of the time. A sign that his swing could be deteriorating.

Trout's uptick in strikeouts wasn't the only concern from last year. There was a dip in his power output, posting a .206 ISO (his career mark is .276), and his OPS was .797, down considerably from his career mark of .976. It also speaks to his previous excellence, considering these numbers are still very good for the current product of baseball.

Now, the good thing is, even with the regression in several key performance indicators, Trout remains a superbly talented offensive player.

It's not a situation like what the Padres are facing with Xander Bogaerts (the biggest nightmare, according to Miller). Bogaerts, 33, is set to earn $25M through 2033 and is coming off a season with the Padres where he posted a 104 wRC+ in 552 plate appearances with 11 home runs.

The other silver lining is that Trout is no Anthony Rendon. Rendon hated every aspect of being a baseball player, and it was miserable to think about his existence on the Angels' roster. Trout is the face of the Angels, and even if he's not the top-of-the-league talent he once was, Los Angeles fans will be happy to watch him age--regardless of the production on the field.