Offhand revelation from Mike Trout helps explain why Angels moved on from Perry Minasian

One of the first things that Los Angeles Angels interim general manager John Mozeliak did after replacing Perry Minasian was make it clear that Mike Trout, the face of the franchise, would not be going anywhere at the trade deadline.

It was an important note to strike because there’s probably no better way to torpedo your reputation with Angels fans than trading Trout immediately after taking the reins.

Not only did Mozeliak immediately shut down any notion Trout would be traded, he also has gone to great lengths to keep Trout abreast of his vision for the organization. Trout recently told reporters that he met with Mozeliak ahead of the trade deadline where the GM laid out his vision going forward for Los Angeles.

That may seem like a common-sense courtesy to extend to a guy who is synonymous with Angels baseball and Trout confirmed that other past GM’s have similarly talked with him in the trade room, except for Minasian.

Perry Minasian should have kept Mike Trout more involved during Angels tenure

This probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. Minasian was lacking in a lot of ways and even though he had to deal with a demanding owner in Arte Moreno, his own shortcomings are ultimately what doomed his tenure with the Halos.

Maybe Minasian felt that telling Trout about the team’s plans breached some sort of boundary that he felt should exist between the players and the front office. It’s healthy for there to be some sort of dividing line in the sand, but he should have recognized that Trout is a special case.

He is the greatest player in the history of the franchise and is going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It’s probably okay to make an exception and inform him of the team’s plans and goals especially since he has always remained loyal to the Angels and has said he wants to stay with the organization.

Perhaps the fact that Minasian didn’t feel the need to keep Trout more involved is evidence that he just lacked some of the human touch that can go a long way. Maybe that’s just not his style but combine stuff like that with the dreadful results the team had on the field during his tenure and it’s no shock that he was let go.

Mozeliak ran the St. Louis Cardinals for almost two decades. He knows what it means to honor legacy players and clearly has a better understanding of the human side of the job. The fact that he’s laying out a long-term vision is just more evidence that he plans to see this thing through with the Angels in a long-term capacity. 

Trout seems to be on board as he said he understands the moves Mozeliak made at the deadline so if the face of the franchise approves of a deadline sale and is being kept involved in the process then that bodes well for Mozeliak’s future with the club.

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