Los Angeles Angels: Trading Mike Trout in 2019 is possible

Mike Trout is undoubtedly the best baseball player on the planet yet has virtually no playoff experience as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.

Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is a revolutionary talent. Not only is Trout putting up video game numbers that could lead to him being the greatest player of the all-time, but he is also doing so with a clean record as the true face of baseball.

He is not flashy like his other young stars and simply goes to work and does his job. He is still young, probably has not hit his prime and could have won four or even five MVPs by now if he was on a more successful team.

And that is part of the problem why Trout gets less recognition than he deserves, although he still gets massive praise. Trout has made the postseason just one time with the Los Angeles Angels and was swept in the first round of the 2014 ALDS by the Kansas City Royals.

The Angels have not won a playoff game since 2009, the same year in which the organization drafted Mike Trout. Most stars would have run towards greener pastures by now and would have demanded a trade. Not Trout. There have been virtually no rumors or reports about Trout wanting out of the Big A.

However, that has not stopped people from talking about it. Ron Darling of MLB Network brought up a very interesting point that the Angels could trade Trout by midseason if the team does not start out on the right foot.

This definitely will get Angel fans churning but I think that Darling has a point. If the All-Star Break rolls around and the Angels are, say, 10 or more games out of first place, it would make sense for the team to finally cave in and look towards the future.

Look, if Trout comes to the organization and has plans on signing a massive extension then absolutely give him the contract. Having Trout be a lifetime Angel will produce results sooner or later.

But if Trout comes to the front office and reveals his plans to leave after the 2020 season, the Angels’ hands are tied. While you would still want to give it one last go in 2020 with Trout, the smartest thing to do would be to trade him in 2019.

That way he would not be viewed as a rental. Even though it is just one season, having that extra year of team control over Trout makes him extremely more valuable in a trade package. Manny Machado is a great example of a young superstar that could have gotten a much bigger trade return if he was dealt the year prior.

It is hard to really determine who the suitors would be in a Trout trade and who would have the firepower to get it done. The Chicago White Sox could theoretically piece together a big enough package, as could the Los Angeles Dodgers or even the San Diego Padres.

The Padres have nine prospects in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects list. The team’s best prospect, Fernando Tatis Jr. (ranked second overall) would be a prospect worth packing around alongside two or even three more top 100 prospects.

Trade Trout a year later and the most the team is going to get is two top 100 prospects. As great as Trout is, no team is going to give the Angels more than 75 cents on the dollar knowing there are no guarantees.

As much as I do not want to the see the Los Angeles Angels trade Trout and instead find a way to succeed with him, it definitely could come in play halfway through the 2019 campaign.