The Los Angeles Angels’ 2023 season ended in disappointment, once again missing the playoffs despite having two of the world’s best baseball players, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, on their roster. While Ohtani’s future with the team remains uncertain as a free agent, Trout is under a long-term contract with the Angels, making a trade the only option for his departure.
Fans have been consistently urging the Angels to free Trout from their roster so he can play for a contender rather than enduring unsuccessful attempts to build a competitive team around him. Early in the offseason, there were rumors of Trout potentially moving to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Angels’ general manager Perry Minasian swiftly put those rumors to rest, confirming that Trout would remain with the Angels in 2024.
“Angels GM Perry Minasian reiterates that Mike Trout will be playing for the Angels in 2024 after several large market teams privately inquired about his availability.” – Bob Nightengale, USA Today
The recurring question: Should the Angels consider trading Mike Trout?
For Angels fans, each season seems like a repetitive cycle. The team aims to build around Trout (and more recently, Ohtani) with the hope of success, but they often struggle and miss the playoffs. Fans have longed for the team to trade Trout and embark on a full-scale rebuild, but the front office has consistently resisted this idea. Instead, they persist in attempting to construct a winning team around Trout, resulting in a familiar pattern of disappointment.
It’s reasonable to expect that at some point, the front office would recognize that their approach with Trout isn’t yielding the desired results and consider a full rebuild. However, so far, there has been no indication that they intend to pursue this path during the upcoming offseason. Sadly, this suggests that Trout may face another season with the Angels, much to the frustration of fans who want to see him on a winning team for a change.