Mike Trout comeback may not be enough to fix Angels 2026 outlook issues

A player's body can only withstand so much. Even the best of the best get sapped of their superpowers as they age. Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout can certainly attest to that.

Then again, Trout is running around with a bit more pep in his step this spring. His sprint speed is back to elite levels after falling dangerously close to league average last year, and his contact quality remains fantastic despite meager results.

Considering that he'll return to center field in 2026 after spending last season cooped up in the right field corner (when he wasn't serving as the Los Angeles Angels' designated hitter), it's good to see the future Hall of Famer moving well again. He's long removed from being an annual 30-steal threat, but strong center field defense would be a nice change of pace following last year's disaster in the outfield.

The problem? Even Trout during his MVP days couldn't carry this moribund franchise to the playoffs. Asking him to do so now, in his mid-30s, doesn't seem like it'll go well.

Angels may find themselves in uncomfortable familiar position with Mike Trout

For the past few years, when Trout has been hurt and far from the peak of his powers, the Angels' struggles as a team haven't been quite as unforgivable as they once were. Wasting a prime season from Zach Neto sucks, but it's hardly the same level of sin as wasting a Trout-Shohei Ohtani campaign.

If Trout returns to peak form — or, at least, whatever his 34-year-old peak looks like — it'll make the Halos a lot better. But it'll put a lot of undue pressure on a roster that simply isn't ready to win right now.

No matter what projection model you check, the Angels are expected to finish fourth or fifth in the AL West this season. Besides Trout and Neto, FanGraphs prognosticates that the lineup's most valuable contributor will be Nolan Schanuel... at 1.7 fWAR. Even if Trout was in his 10-WAR prime, he'd have a doozy of a time covering for all of this team's weaknesses and lack of depth.

For what it's worth, Eno Sarris of The Athletic foresees Trout's first four-win season (by WAR) since 2022. Such a strong performance would be good for fans looking for anything to look forward to, but it would also portend a brighter future for the Angels. The outfielder has four years remaining on his mega-deal after 2026, which will be a lot easier to swallow if he's merely "old Mike Trout" rather than "old, hurt, and ineffective Mike Trout."

Keeping him healthy again after he managed to play in 130 games in 2025 should probably be the Angels' top priority. But it's going to be hard to keep a locked in Mike Trout off the field, even if Los Angeles finds itself out of contention during the dog days of summer.