Mike Trout trade chatter has Angels fans on edge, but ignores elephant in the room

Mike Trout is doing Mike Trout things once again, and with that is going to come a reality that Los Angeles Angels fans may have forgotten. There is going to be trade chatter about the Angels finally trading Trout, and the speculation has already started.

The Athletic's Keith Law (subscription required) didn't mince words, suggesting that the Angels need to trade Trout as soon as possible. The premise was that trading Trout would shock the Angels' farm system into relevance, even if it means that LA has to pay down some of the money owed to the 34-year-old center fielder.

First and foremost, what all Trout trade speculation ignores his contract. He's owed over $185 million through the 2030 season. Looking at trades dating back to the past several years, teams are rarely taking on that kind of money in deals. There may have been a case to take on Trout's contract had he been five years younger or if health wasn't a question, but it's hard to see an opposing front office going for that at this point.

A Mike Trout trade doesn't match the Angels' reality

Now, there would probably be an interest in Trout if the Angels expressed a desire to absorb some of the money owed to him in exchange for better prospects. There's some baseball logic to that strategy, but that would ignore the primary reason why Arte Moreno, if pressed, would sign off on a trade: getting his contract off the books, and in turn, making the Angels easier to sell.

There's also a much larger element to a Trout trade that is being ignored. In theory, if the Angels were to get Trout's money off their books, that would significantly open things up for Perry Minasian and Co. to operate. It's a theory because it once again does not match the Angels' reality.

The Angels created additional financial flexibility for themselves this past offseason when they restructured Anthony Rendon's contract, and no, that didn't pave the way to them becoming sudden spenders. They went bargain-bin shopping to address the needs they had on the roster, and it's hard to imagine that dumping Trout's contract won't have the same result.

For better or worse, the Angels are going to be stuck with Trout. There's no way around that fact.

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