Rings, Legacies and Mike Trout
It's looking more and more likely that Mike Trout will retire without playing in a World Series, but it doesn't need to be that way.
There are very few players who came into Major League Baseball with the kind of hype like Mike Trout did. Ever since he made his major league debut back in 2011, great things have been expected of him and his career. The words “generational talent” are thrown around a lot in sports but in this case, they were completely justified.
Comparison were made to some of the greatest hitters to ever play the game. The thought was that Trout would shatter records and lead the Los Angeles Angels back to the promised land of the playoffs and a second World Series title, culminating with him entering the Hall of Fame.
Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out that way, for the Angels or Mike Trout.
First, it never seemed like the Angels knew how to build a competitive team around Trout and what he could do. The team's farm system has never been what anyone would call “overflowing” with prospects, leading to few of the kind of homegrown players that normally fill out a roster. Players that also keep an organization's payroll under control and gives them the flexibility to sign free agents.
Which leads to the second issue, which is that the Angels ownership is cheap. Arturo Moreno has owned the team since 2003 and has never made a huge splash in free agency. And when he does, it invariably blows up in his face. One just need look at the 7-year, $245 million contract the team signed Anthony Rendon to as proof.
And even when Moreno does have a chance to do something amazing for his team, he blows it. When the books about Shohei Ohtani's career are written someday, an entire chapter could be dedicated to the fact the Angels just let him walk away without so much as a raising a finger to stop him from leaving.
Some will argue that you can't compete with a 10-year, $700 million contract like the one the Los Angles Dodgers offered, but when you have Mike Trout on your team, you make it work. The two could have formed the kind of foundation that draws other high profile players to the team, the kind of powerhouse roster others players dream of joining. But that didn't happen. And Mike Trout was left with a team made up also-rans, could have beens and an organization that is regularly a seller at the trade deadline.
Which in a roundabout way brings up to the biggest reason Trout hasn't fulfilled the expectations that were heaped upon him when he entered the league.
Over the last few seasons, Trout has dealt with a myriad of injuries resulting in him missing 260 games over the last three years. This was in the wake of him signing a 12-year, $430 million extension with the Angels in 2019. Trout was quickly going from being considered one of the greatest to play the game to a player that couldn't stay healthy and had some questioning if he even would deserve a place in Cooperstown.
But 2024 was supposed to be different. Trout had spoken with ownership about the direction of the club and that he wanted to win and make a deep postseason run. He got off to a great start when the season began, hammering the ball like the Mike Trout of old. That was until he tore the meniscus in his left knee and needed surgery to repair it. For the fourth consecutive year he would miss a massive chunk of playing time while watching his team limp to a 25-40 record as this writing and last place in AL West.
Suddenly the talk about Mike Trout and his legacy became a whole lot louder. And the one common denominator in that talk was that everyone wanted to see him succeed. It didn't matter what team you rooted for or how much you may dislike the Angles. Every baseball fan wants to see Mike Trout do well and have a chance to win a World Series.
And it could still happen. If Trout wants it to.
Trout is expected to return to the field sometime later this season. By that time the Angels season will be all but done, likely including a fire sale at the trade deadline on July 30. Which means he can either watch as other teams play in the postseason or he could do something about it.
Trout is incredibly loyal to the Angels, which is likely why he signed the extension in the first place instead of trying out free agency. But by now he has to realize that nothing is going to change in Los Angeles. If he stays there he will almost certainly retire having made only one playoff appearance, a three-game sweep in the 2014 NLDS at the hands of the Kansas City Royals.
Which means if he wants to change the narrative, he would need to be traded. That means he would have to waive his full no-trade clause and likely agree to rework his massive contract in some fashion. But if the Angels really want to rebuild, an idea they can't fully embrace as long as Trout in on the roster, they could make something work with another team.
And don't think there aren't teams who would be willing to take the risk of signing what would essentially amount to one of the highest paid designated hitters in the game. Both the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves have been mentioned as teams that would be interested if Trout became available. And of course there are the Philadelphia Phillies.
Trout is from New Jersey. He grew up a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan. And the Phillies are on track to make another very deep playoff run. If any team had a chance to make a deal with Trout work, it's Philadelphia. How he would fit in the roster is another matter but if you have a chance to sign a hitter like Trout, you don't pass on it without at least considering it.
At the end of the day, it's up to Trout whether he wants to play for a different team then the one he has known his whole career. If having a chance to win a World Series isn't important to him he can stay put, cash his paycheck and wonder what might have been. Or Trout can demand a trade and take what is probably his last shot at becoming the baseball player everyone thought he would become.
Because I don't think anyone wants to think of Mike Trout as the GOAT who never won a ring.