Mr. Angel? Mike Trout’s chances of ever escaping the franchise now seem even less likely

No player is untradeable, not even the aging, broken Mike Trout, signed through 2030. But with Trout’s latest injury, the horrifying thought of him spending the rest of his career with the Los Angeles Angels is moving closer to reality .

Trout, who turns 33 on August 7, is expected to be out of action for at least 8 to 12 weeks as he recovers from surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee. He is guaranteed $35.45 million this season and each of the next six. Even if he were to return on, say, August 1 and finish well, which team would trust him enough this offseason to take on most or all of the remaining $212.7 million? From 2021 through 2023, Trout missed more games than he played. And since he’s historically been a slow healer, he’s not exactly on track to reverse that trend in 2024.

“We’ll get through it” 😢 @EricaLWeston @Engels l #RepDeHalo pic.twitter.com/2pxLf8JJfn

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) May 1, 2024

Of course, there was still no question of a trade in trout. To the dismay of many opponents, the three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star has steadfastly refused to ask out of Anaheim, claiming he wants to spend his entire career with one team, just like his childhood idol Derek Jeter. win with the angels.

At the start of spring training, Trout said he was “pushing, pushing, pushing” upper management to add free agents, perhaps indicative of his growing impatience. Well, his fuse needed to be shorter. He waited too long.

For a trading scenario to become realistic, the following was necessary:

• The Angels would start to stink again, which was anything but obvious.

• Trout to A) returns to near-MVP form, which at least had a chance of happening before he hurt his knee; and B) request a trade, which even Angels fans would have understood considering he has never won a postseason game since 2014 or even played in the playoffs.

• Angels owner Arte Moreno wants to show not only a willingness to grant Trout’s wishes, but also to put significant money into a trade that … never happened.

Moreno, remember, repeatedly refused to authorize a trade for Shohei Ohtani, even though it would have yielded a monster return that could have boosted his sorry franchise. He then declined to match the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offer to Ohtani of $700 million with a deferral of $680 million, a deal that could very well pay for itself. Ohtani may not have taken the Angels’ money, mind you. But all the Angels get in return for him now is – yes – the 74th pick in the 2024 draft.

At a reduced annual salary – $15 million? $20 million? – a club might still want Trout. Large payout transactions have become increasingly common over the past quarter century. Moreno has made a few, sending the New York Yankees more than $28 million to dump Vernon Wells in March 2013 and $63 million to the Texas Rangers. getting rid of Josh Hamilton in April 2015. Wells was no longer a productive player. Hamilton angered Moreno by relapsing into substance abuse. Trout, on the other hand, is a model citizen and elite player when healthy, a favorite of Moreno.

For Wells and Hamilton, the Angels received virtually nothing. For Trout, Moreno would likely want six top-100 prospects, especially if he parted with tens of millions to facilitate the deal. The actual commercial value of trout, even with a lower financial obligation, would be much lower. Good luck talking to Moreno about this. He wouldn’t trade Ohtani if ​​he had more than one chance to make the same type of deal the Washington Nationals did for Juan Soto.

And where are the angels now? We’re stuck with two players, Trout and Anthony Rendon, who are making almost $75 million per year through the completion of Rendon’s contract in 2026, yet can’t stay on the field. That’s where Trout’s tolerance for Moreno’s erratic stewardship becomes less understandable. The team is a mess, has been a mess and will be a mess for at least the next few years.

The Athletics‘s Keith Law ranked the Angels’ farm system 29th out of 30, ahead of only the Oakland A’s. Even if the Angels somehow turn it around near the end of Trout’s contract, how functional will he be in his late 30s? His early thirties certainly did not go well.

During spring training, Trout told me he heard the noise about how satisfied he is with the Angels, not wanting to win, not wanting to demand a trade. In an interview I conducted with him for Fox Sports, he said: “It gives me more energy.” He was convinced he was about to get back into shape, and said he got chills just thinking about the possibility. And the way he was playing, a season of 50 home runs and 30 stolen bases – proof that he was still the GOAT, or at least one of today’s top players – seemed within his reach.

His seriousness remains one of his most endearing qualities. The suggestion that he doesn’t want to play in a more demanding market has always gone unnoticed by those who know him best, who see how hard he works, who witness his competitive fire. But Trout’s desire to succeed with the Angels instead of elsewhere seemed like a fanciful idea to most on the outside.

Armed with full trade protection, he could have talked his way to the Philadelphia Phillies, the closest team to his hometown of Millville, NJ. He could have blended in with a clubhouse full of hungry stars — Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber , Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. And he could have been celebrated for escaping a bad situation, instead of criticized for staying where he was.

It didn’t have to be the Phillies. It could have been almost any competitor in terms of pay flexibility. And it didn’t have to lead to a transaction. Trout signed extensions with the Angels twice when he could have become a free agent in his age 26 and 29 seasons. His loyalty was commendable. But right now he looks like a modern-day equivalent of Ernie Banks, who holds the Major League record for most games played in a career without making the playoffs (2,528).

Banks, who played in an era before free agency, never had the opportunity to choose another team. For most of his career, only the league’s champions made the playoffs and met in the World Series. He was a beloved figure, known as Mr. Cub. He made the Hall of Fame. But for many, there was always something missing, some aspect of his legacy that could have been possible.

Trout is finding himself in similar territory after his latest injury. More than ever, he seems destined to remain Mr. Angel. As good as his intentions were, it’s very sad to say.

(Photo: Paul Rutherford/Getty Images)