Mike Trout wants to stay, win with Angels ... for now
TEMPE, Ariz. – Los Angeles Angels three-time MVP Mike Trout walked to his locker, looked around, saw just a handful of reporters, and laughed. “Ohtani,” he said, “must be gone.” Indeed, Shohei Ohtani and the massive media following are across town at the Los Angeles Dodgers spring training complex these days, leaving the Angels clubhouse the most sparse of reporters and TV crews since Trout’s arrival.
Trout said last week he was resigned to the idea that Ohtani likely would leave all along, but he didn’t show the slightest sign of being resentful or envious.
He still wants to remain with the Angels, but for the first time he left open the possibility of changing his mind.
“I think the easy way out right now is to ask for a trade,” said Trout, who has not been to the postseason since 2014. “There might be a time, maybe. I really haven’t thought about this. But when I signed my contract, I’m loyal. I want to win a championship here. …
“I think the overall picture of winning a championship or getting to the playoffs here is a bigger satisfaction than bailing out and just taking the easy way out. So that’s my mindset. Maybe down the road if something changes, but that’s been my mindset ever since the trade speculations came up.”
Trout, who signed a $360 million extension in 2019, has a complete no-trade clause. If he wanted out, the Angels would let teams know, but they never engaged in a single trade discussion. Trout, 32, won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2030 season.
“I mean, I can’t predict the future,” Trout said. “But I think the overall build of not getting to the playoffs, and then when it happens, that’s bigger than if I just wanted to get out of here.
“The overall relationships with everybody in this clubhouse, in this organization is great. But if things change, and people feel a different way, then we’ll go from there.”
The Angels’ prospects of reaching the postseason took a hit with the defection of Ohtani. The Angels were given the chance to match the Dodgers’ 10-year, $700 million contract but passed, with Angels owner Arte Moreno not wanting to take on the $680 million in deferrals.
The sense among Angels officials is that if the Angels had matched the offer, Ohtani would have never left.
“I kind of had a pretty good idea, my gut feeling was going to be the Dodgers,” Trout said. “Obviously, I wanted him to come back. I’m just happy for him. He got what he deserves.”
Now, Trout is trying to convince Moreno and president John Carpino to spend the money they didn’t use on Ohtani on the free agent market, improving the ballclub and making them a contender again after eight consecutive losing seasons.
Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell and Texas Rangers postseason hero Jordan Montgomery were still available at press time, along with Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman.
“There’s still some guys out there that can make this team a lot better,” Trout said. “I’m going to be pushing as long as I can, unless the season starts or until those guys sign. It’s just in my nature. I’m going to do everything I can possible. It’s obviously Arte’s decision, but I’m going to put my two cents in there.”
Trout says he doesn’t know if Moreno will budge, with no talks in recent weeks between agent Scott Boras and the Angels,
but he says that Moreno can’t be accused of being cheap.
“If you look over the past few years,” Trout said, “Arte’s spent money … There are a few guys that I’ve talked (to) that want to be here for sure. I’m competitive. The guys out there are great players and great people.
“It would be foolish to say I don’t want them to come here.”
Trout shared his ideas with new Angels manager Ron Washington, third base coach Eric Young and first base coach Bo Porter over the winter. They visited Trout’s New Jersey home over the winter, spent three hours with him, and listened to his thoughts of improving the club.
“We let Mike talk,” Washington told USA TODAY Sports. “We let Mike tell us what he thinks needs to be changed. What he thinks is the reason why things have been stagnant around here. I never infused anything what I wanted, EY or Bo, we just listened to Mike. I just wanted to listen.
“He’s fired up. He’s ready to go.” And, yes, Washington is encouraging Trout to continue lobbying Moreno for free agent help.
Trout shared the blame as much as* anyone else for the Angels’ struggles. He is an 11-time All-Star who finished in the top five in MVP voting his first nine full seasons. He hit .308 and averaged 35 homers, 92 RBI with a .422 on-base percentage from 2013 to 2018.
Yet, he has been missed 249 games the past three seasons. He hasn’t played more than 140 games since 2016. He suffered a strained calf in 2021 that sidelined him for five months, a back injury that cost him five weeks in 2022, and a broken hand that kept him out half of last season.
“If I’m on the field, that makes a difference,” Trout said. “It crushes me. I hate talking about it. I always want to be out there with the guys. Even if I’m 60%, I try to go out there and play.
“It kills me when I have to come in the clubhouse and not see my name in that lineup.”
Incredibly, Trout, Anthony Rendon and Ohtani played together in only 22% of the Angels’ games the past three seasons.
Washington also traveled to Houston to speak to Rendon, who has missed 338 games since the 2020 season, hitting .235 with a .701 OPS with just 11 homers and 80 RBI.
The injuries have left Rendon frustrated to the point where he actually spoke publicly about retiring, even though he has $105 million left on his contract the next three seasons.
Still, it’s grossly unfair, he says, for anyone to believe he’s content collecting $36 million a year while sitting out with injuries.
“I don’t want to have surgeries,” said Rendon, who had hip surgery in 2021, wrist surgery in 2022 and a fractured shin in 2023. “You think I like going under the knife and being in pain the majority of my time?
“I can’t even pick up my kids. I can’t walk. You think I enjoy that?”
Trout’s lone postseason experience came in 2014. The drought, of course, could last longer without Ohtani. Their biggest free agent signing this winter has been reliever Robert Stephenson, who received a three-year, $33 million contract.
“Obviously, you lose a great player, and you understand that things happen,” Angels GM Perry Minasian said, “but the one constant for me the last three years is Mike Trout. You know he’s going to show up in great shape. And you know he’s going to be extremely motivated to not only be as good as he can be, but to make everyone around him better.”