Over the course of 13 seasons, Mike Trout has been fiercely loyal to the Los Angeles Angels. He has routinely defended the franchise amid what is soon to be eight consecutive losing seasons, signed an extension when many expected him to test free agency and has kept any frustration private within the organization.
But in a monumental offseason following that eighth consecutive losing season, it’s almost certain that Trout’s name will be mentioned in trade rumors. Shohei Ohtani is a free agent and could very well leave the franchise. If he does, questions could begin to circle the Angels as it pertains to Trout’s future with the club.
The question was posed directly to Trout, who of course bounced it off. He spoke about his future with the team and what needs to happen this offseason in order for Trout to feel more comfortable discussing any potential trades, according to Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
“When it’s brought up in the offseason, you’ve obviously got to talk about it, and think about it,” he said. “I haven’t thought about it yet. There are going to be some conversations in the winter, for sure. Just to see the direction of everything and what the plan is.”
Trout has made it clear over the years that he will not discuss matters of this nature publicly until he’s first had conversations internally. he also made it clear that he takes some responsibility for the Angels’ recent woes, as injuries have limited him to 36, 119 and 82 games respectively in the last three seasons.
“100%,” Trout said. “If you look back at the last few years, I’ve been banged up. To go out there and put a full year together, that’s the main goal for everybody, especially myself.”
It’s hard to envision a world in which Trout plays for another team than the Angels. It’s also hard to envision Arte Moreno greenlighting a Trout trade, even with the recent injury issues and the fact that Trout is still owed $248.2 million over the next seven seasons.
The Angels would never be able to recoup the value that Trout brings as a player, making a trade extremely complex. But it seems, at least internally, those conversations might be had this winter.
Griffin Canning has strong outing
In his second start since returning from the injured list, Griffin Canning was once again strong. He posted six innings of two-run baseball in an eventual 2-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics.
But more importantly, Canning crossed the 100-inning mark for the first time in his career with his performance on Saturday.
