Will the Angels Have To Trade Mike Trout?

As scary as it sounds, trading Mike Trout might be the only remaining option for the Angels.

These are tough times in Anaheim. The Angels recently lost their ace Garrett Richards for the season due to a torn UCL, they sit at 19-23 on the season (4.5 games back of the Mariners for 1st in the AL West as of May 20th), and things aren’t headed in the right direction in terms of the future of this club.

Let’s not sugar coat this; the Angels have the worst farm system in baseball. Taylor Ward is the Angels’ top prospect, but even Ward has limited upside. It’s easy for fans to give in and take the “Trade Trout, load up on prospects, and you’ll have yourself a winning team in 5 years” mindset, but the opposing point of view offers an interesting argument as well. The opposing argument goes a bit like this: “Mike Trout is the face of baseball, so why not build around him?” Well, to be brutally honest, there’s nothing to build with. This team has some decent major league talent, and it is worth noting that they’ll have the 16th overall pick in this June’s 2016 MLB Draft, but it’s going to take a lot more than that to get this team back to where they need to be.

The Angels haven’t made the postseason since 2014 when the won the AL West, but they couldn’t make it past Royals in the ALDS. Angels fans are quickly growing impatient with this 2016 season that seems to be heading in the wrong direction, and it’s gotten to the point where it’s time to look at the bigger picture and ask the question that everyone has been losing sleep over for the past couple months: is trading Mike Trout what’s best for the future of this organization?

Let’s get one thing straight; the potential package that the Angels would be receiving in exchange for Trout would be nothing short of monumental. We’d be looking at 2-3 players with MLB experience and lots of upside, along with a load of top prospects to help replenish the Angels’ farm system. Finding a suitor for Trout shouldn’t be too difficult, but the asking price in return might chase a few teams away.

If the ideal trade for Trout is proposed, I think the Angels would have no choice but to agree to move on from Trout. A successful trade could turn this team into a serious contender by 2018 or 2019, but trading away arguably the best player this organization has ever seen might drive some fans away. This is a tough situation, and there’s really no way out.

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