TEMPE, Ariz. — The great Mike Trout is back for his 14th season as an Angel, and while the experience, talent and pennant expectations appear notably diminished for his star-crossed organization — in terms of bad luck, they are like the Mets of the West — Trout’s attitude never wavers.
Trout is determined to make it work where he is. While everyone around the game assumes he wants out of the team that’s posted eight straight losing seasons, he remains comfortable and committed as ever.
“All that talk only fuels me to try to win here,” Trout told The Post. “I want to win here.”
There’s no consideration to ask for a trade, and that goes for both sides. Even if Trout wanted out, there are three big reasons it isn’t happening: 1) A couple injury-riddled seasons have lessened his value, so the Angels might have to offset some of his $35.5 million salary, 2) he is the one marquee man remaining after two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani got his heavily deferred $700 million deal 45 miles up the I-5 with the Dodgers, and 3) it’s hard to see owner Arte Moreno consenting to trade the greatest player in Angels history.
Trout remains in constant contact with Moreno and higher-ups, but the subject is addition, not subtraction. Yes, while Trout loves the “energy” of the team and hasn’t lost his zeal for the game and the team, he is realistic, too. So he continues to advocate for stars whose free agency has dragged into the latter part of spring — presumably top remaining starter Jordan Montgomery, DH extraordinaire J.D. Martinez and others (he specifically mentioned Tommy Pham, who he noted was a middle-of-the-order hitter in the World Series) after two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell went to the Giants on Monday.
“I’m in their ear every day,” Trout said about his bosses. “I don’t know what’s going on with the market right now. It’s pretty crazy.”
The loss of Ohtani, which didn’t surprise Trout (more on that later) has left a decent but young and very unproven nucleus, and almost no expectations beyond the assumption that Moreno might want to provide a reason not to bypass Angel Stadium on the way to Chavez Ravine.
Snell had long been linked to the Angels, but that long shot didn’t come in. The Angels — the best big-market team at annually avoiding the luxury tax are way below now, at a meager $188M — conducted long-running talks on Snell and they liked him, but there’s no evidence they ever got close.
Montgomery, an October hero who proved better than the Yankees thought, would seem like another possibility. But he has been linked more closely to the Rangers, Red Sox, Cubs and others. At this point, a less expensive star like Martinez might seem more possible. Word is the Angels like him, and the feeling is mutual. But the Angels may prefer to keep the DH spot open for Trout and Anthony Rendon, their other veteran name who’s much more injury prone than Trout.
“There’s guys out there who hit 30 home runs,” Trout said, which seems to be a reference to Martinez, who hit 33. “It’s crazy out there. I don’t know what’s going on in the market.”
The same could be said for the Angels, although young talents like shortstop Zach Neto, catcher Logan O’Hoppe (from Sayville) and Nolan Schanuel, and a youngish rotation bring some positivity. New manager Ron Washington, who’s famously a believer, fuels that feeling.
Trout, whose .858 OPS in an injury-plagued 2023 was more than 100 points below the lowest previous mark in his incredible career, hopefully noted that he, too, struggled when he first came up before he “took off.” He said it as if there’s a three-time MVP and future best in the game in their midst (unlikely). Anyway, he projects belief in the team.
“You never know, that’s the feeling in this clubhouse,” Trout said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence. … It’s going to be fun.”
Trout retains about the game’s best outlook, especially considering the number of losses he’s endured. He got only a taste of the postseason, and while it’s hard to believe, it’s been a decade since that quick elimination at the hands of the Royals. The biggest loss of all is Ohtani, the only one currently in baseball who might wind up with a better career than Trout (Ohtani has two MVPs, he’ll be back pitching next year and he’s on a perennial playoff team so he could beat Trout’s three).
While some around the Angels believe Ohtani might have stayed if Moreno agreed to that $700 million deferred deal he was offering around (the Jays and Giants did agree), Trout isn’t surprised.
“I kind of knew, the feeling I was getting, the vibe I was getting,” he said of Ohtani. “I’m happy for him.”
No reason to feel sorry for Trout. He’s feeling “great” and gearing up for his age-32 season. He’s not thinking about anything else for now.
“If something changes, you guys will know,” he said. “As of right now I’m an Angel. And I’m looking forward to this season.”
