Angels get clear 2027 request from Mike Trout that includes another position change

The Los Angeles Angels are set to make myriad changes during the offseason to turn a 100-loss team around moving forward. Where Mike Trout plays in 2027 will become a major talking point before next season, as the team's best player reportedly told the general manager that the Angels might be better off with him permanently moved out of the position that helped make him an icon in the baseball world.

Speaking with reporters after the regular season, John Mozeliak revealed that Mike Trout has expressed a desired to move to left field while also having more time at DH sprinkled in to his playing time in 2027.

Angels face another Mike Trout position change after he makes his wishes clear for 2027

Trout played the majority of his games last season in centerfield. He was perfectly adequate defensively (not great, not that bad) and was able to consistently post (Trout played 142 games, fifth-most of his career). Trout's reasoning is sound in that they could certainly use a defensive upgrade in centerfield given his 11th percentile range (OAA) last season.

Trout began breaking down physically in 2021 -- Trout only played 36 games in 2021 -- and analysts began pointing to his poor outfield range that began in the 2016 season, continued in 2017 and popped back up in 2019 and 2020 after a stellar defensive season in 2018. The point the pundits were making was that Trout is not the best centerfielder from a metrics standpoint, but that playing the position is also incredibly taxing on his body.

Because he is Mike Trout, he rebounded from a disastrous 2021 by playing 111 games in 2022 and his OAA was one of the best in baseball. However, his arm strength began to decline that year. From 2023-2024, Trout played a combined 103 games which caused the Angels to enter the 2025 with the future Hall of Famer as their starting right fielder to help mitigate his physical ailments. He struggled defensively and physically and wound up playing the vast majority of the season as the team's DH.

From 2014-2024, Trout did not play a single position other than center field. Trout played 1,110 games in the field, all of them in center field -- garnering Trout many comparisons to Ken Griffey Jr. in the process thanks to his prolific, all-around game.

These are the realities that the Angels will be forced to live with as Trout continues to get older. Each season may require going back to the drawing board in an effort to keep him on the field.

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