Mike Trout's trade comments highlight changes Angels fans can no longer ignore

In spring training, Mike Trout showed off a level of physical ability that Los Angeles Angels fans had long believed had left his battered body when he reached a scorching 29.9 feet per second sprint speed while trying to beat out an infield hit. Then, over the first month of the season, his scorching performance had fans wondering if he was back to his MVP-caliber dominance that felt like a lifetime ago.

The hot start from Trout wasn't enough to prevent the Angels from sinking in the standings. What a surprise! He can't do it alone. Los Angeles's status as one of the league's most directionless franchises led to the inevitable Trout trade chatter.

Some have wondered whether or not the Pride of Millville, New Jersey, would finally get fed up with losing and ask for a trade so that he could finally play somewhere with a chance to win at long last. Trout's response to those questions was blunt.

"I haven’t even thought about that. I’m not gonna talk about the trade stuff," the face of the franchise said. Good for him, because a move is never going to happen, or maybe better said, not any time soon, at least.

Mike Trout shooting down Angels trade rumors ignores the fact that he's virtually untradeable anyway

The overall numbers for Trout look pretty stellar, even if they're a step down from his otherworldly prime. Through 51 games, he's hit .239/404/.483 with 12 homers. The average is low, but otherwise, this has been some of the best we've seen from the three-time MVP.

That line is a little misleading. Trout has struggled for most of May, slashing just .225/.360/.352 with two homers over 86 plate appearances since May 1. The sample isn't huge, and the slumping offense around him is a mitigating factor, as opposing teams have rarely given him anything that he can really drive.

But the 11-time All-Star's ability to hit for average has declined for years now, and even when he was rolling, that part of his game had never truly returned. The somewhat uneven performance is a factor in what the hypothetical demand would be if the Angels were to put him on the trade block. It's not the only impediment to a deal, either.

The way Trout's injuries have ramped up over the past five years means that although he's avoided any true injury scares this year, we're still far from out of the woods with just under a third of the season in the books.

The biggest roadblock to a Trout trade is cost. First, Arte Moreno and the Halos would be lambasted by the fans for anything less than a haul for the face of the franchise, but realistically, no team would be willing to pay that price.

The contract is a major issue. Signed through 2030, any team trading for him would be adding $148.5 million to their books over the next four years, plus the prorated amount of his $37.1 2026 salary. Even if you believe that Trout will remain healthy and productive throughout 2026, are you willing to risk nearly $150 million and give up a treasure trove of prospects to bet on him doing that for four more years as he marches towards his 40th birthday?

No one would do that, and you can't count on Moreno to eat enough salary to get something worthwhile back. A salary-dump style trade would be a PR nightmare that not even the out-of-touch Angels would attempt, which leaves us at an impasse.

Simply put, the Angels won't trade Mike Trout, and even if they were willing to, no one is going to give up what it would take to land him. Full stop.

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