New WBC insurance crackdown may have saved Angels’ Mike Trout from himself

The moves the Los Angeles Angels made this offseason indicate that they think they can compete in 2026. Few outside the organization actually believe that it will come to fruition. As has been the case for the last several years, the Halos' hopes of proving the doubters wrong hinge on one man.

Mike Trout is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. He was the best player of his generation and he remains an all-time great. In the baseball pantheon, Trout's name is going to come up again and again in the decades to come. He's also become incredibly fragile in recent years.

Trout has averaged just 79.2 games played per season over the past five years, and that number is buoyed by the 130 contests he logged last year. Still, even with better health in 2025, he lost about a month due to a left knee bone bruise.

The injury limited Trout, who had begun the year in right field in hopes of preserving his health, to DH duty for the rest of the season. Now the face of the franchise has his sights set on returning to center field, and the Angels' inaction has made that look like the best possible defensive alignment if they want to contend, despite the risks that it poses.

Trout's desires go beyond simply returning to center. Last year, he declared his intention to play in this year's World Baseball Classic. He may have passed the captaincy over to New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, but he wanted to join forces alongside him in pursuit of greatness.

World Baseball Classic Insurance issues have the Angels breathing a sigh of relief, as it likely saves Mike Trout from himself

Captain America is the ultimate competitor, and the prospect of bringing his country to greatness is something Trout was never going to deny. The 34-year-old has authored many memorable moments in the tournament's history, and he was always going to want to go back for more.

However, given the severe injury concerns surrounding him, participating in the tournament when you know Trout would be going full speed even without a proper buildup seemed like a disaster waiting to happen.

Fortunately, Los Angeles was saved by the WBC insurance crackdown. Some of the game's brightest stars, like Venezuela's Jose Altuve and Puerto Rico's Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor, were denied admission due to insurance issues stemming from injury history and/or recent surgeries, and Trout's bid for Team USA suffered the same fate. While it would have been thrilling to see the 11-time All-Star take the world stage yet again, the risk was too much for the Angels.

In order for them to have any hope of contending in the AL West this season, they need Trout healthy. But that's not all. With question marks littering the roster, the only way for the Halos to truly compete isn't just having Trout in the lineup every day, but it's also having him return to his peak powers.

That's not out of the question for the 34-year-old, though it's been a while since we've seen it. His .232/.359/.439 line last season was a far cry from his peak, but it wasn't all that long ago that we saw him crack 40 homers and post a .999 OPS back in 2022.

In order for any of this to happen, though, Trout needs a normal offseason with a slow and gradual ramp-up to protect his health. He couldn't get that if he left camp to compete in the WBC, so the Angels truly dodged a bullet when he was denied insurance coverage. Now they have to be smart in how they handle his spring workload to take full advantage of the strict insurance process.