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The clock is ticking on Mike Trout’s return.

The Angels center fielder fractured his left hamate bone in a game on July 3, had surgery and returned on Aug. 22. He experienced more pain in his hand and wrist than he thought he would be able to tolerate after one game, prompting another IL stint on Aug. 25.

“I wasn’t right,” Trout told reporters in New York after being put back on the IL. “I was in some pain more than tolerable. I thought I could push it just to get back out there and just came in the next day really, really sore.”

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Trout will travel with the team on its upcoming trip to play the Tampa Bay Rays and Minnesota Twins.

Angels

Sept. 16, 2023

Trout has been trying to return, but with only 12 games remaining on the schedule, the three-time American League most valuable player does not have much more of a window.

To be certain, Trout’s return, at this point, would not change the final result of the Angels’ season. They were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Tigers on Saturday night. Their 5-3 loss to Detroit on Sunday at Angel Stadium left them at 68-82, guaranteeing their eighth consecutive losing season.

Trout’s return would matter more in the spectrum of peace of mind for himself, being able to finish a season not on the IL, especially considering this is his third consecutive season that has been derailed because of an injury. Trout was unavailable for comment for this article.

He played just 36 games in 2021 because of a left calf strain. In 2022, he missed a month recovering from a back injury. He worked diligently between 2022 and 2023 to ensure that neither of those problems would come back, only to suffer the hamate bone fracture fouling off a pitch.

“He wants to play again this year, I mean, he’s voiced that many times,” manager Phil Nevin said before Sunday’s game. “As soon as he feels like it’s tolerable to play in a game again, he’s gonna get out there. But I think he’s gonna be more cautious this time as to what he was last time, being that aggressive with it.”

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In his down time, Trout has continued to be a presence for his teammates, watching games in the dugout when he is not in the trainer’s room getting treatment. On Saturday, he joined Nevin, closer Carlos Estévez, pitchers José Suarez and Jaime Barría, infielders Luis Rengifo (bicep tendon surgery) and Eduardo Escobar and former Angel Albert Pujols in a pregame celebration of the career of Tigers star Miguel Cabrera.

Trout has been limited to 82 games this season, mostly because of the hand/wrist injury and some because of load management.

“He hasn’t swung a bat in a while so it’s going to take some time,” general manager Perry Minasian said Saturday in a news conference. “With that being said, I think the goal for him, it would be great for him, too. Peace of mind is important going into an offseason. I believe it would be really beneficial for him to play again, but it has to feel good. … With where we’re at in the standings, there’s no reason to push it to a certain extent.”

As the MLB offseason gets closer, all of the talk for the Dodgers has been about Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, and rightfully so. He is the big fish on the open market, and the Dodgers are planning to still make an all-out aggressive run at landing his services.

But there is another player that could be available via trade that could make some sense for LA, and that would be star outfielder Mike Trout. After another poor season from the Angels, this could be the winter that we see a trade made for the veteran.

While he hasn’t asked out of Anaheim, Trout does realize that he isn’t getting any younger and that the Angels are no closer to winning anything. So, maybe this is the offseason that he says enough is enough.

Our very own Doug McKain broke down the idea of LA trading for the Angels outfielder, and you can see the full video right here!

There are both pros and cons to trading for Trout, with the pro being that he is still a very quality player when he is on the field. However, he was limited to just 82 games this season due to injury. But in that time, he hit .263 with 18 home runs and 44 runs batted in, which was a down year for his standards.

But the biggest downside to getting Trout is his remaining contract, so any move would require the Angels to send a chunk of money over with him. He is scheduled to make $35 million each year through 2030, and the Dodgers certainly don’t want to pay that amount for him.

Additionally, there are the issues with Angels owner Arte Moreno. He likely would never trade Trout to the Dodgers, even if they offered him the best possible trade package for the outfielder.

All in all, a trade for Trout is unlikely, but never say never. Weirder things have happened, but it seems that Trout will likely stay with the Angels for next season.

Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

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All-Star outfielder Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels said he anticipates returning this season despite a broken left wrist suffered when he fouled off a pitch Monday night.

“Of course,” Trout said Tuesday, a few hours after the Angels announced he was placed on the 10-day injured list with broken hamate.

“I’ve had other guys reach out who’ve had this surgery before, or had this injury before. I don’t know if it’s going to need surgery or not. We’ll know in the next couple of days, I guess. Some guys came back in four weeks, some guys take a little longer just to see how their body heals.”

The slugger fouled off a 0-1 pitch from Nick Martinez leading off the eighth inning and immediately shook his left arm. Angels manager Phil Nevin and a trainer came out to check on the slugger and he left the game.

“I kind of knew it wasn’t good. It’s another freak thing,” Trout said. “It’s nothing crazy serious, so obviously I’m going to miss a little bit of time, but it’s not season-ending.”

Trout, a three-time AL MVP, was selected to his 11th All-Star team on Sunday and 10th straight as a starter. He was hitting .263 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs.

Trout said he had been feeling well before the injury and that it’s going to be tough to miss the All-Star Game.

“I was really looking forward to it,” he said. “It’s frustrating.”

Nevin said the team was going to get one more medical opinion on Trout’s wrist, “but usually these things need to be fixed. To be quite honest, when I went out there, I kind of had an idea. I’ve had players before that have done this, the feelings he had.

“When you feel something go or anything like that, you worry about a lot of things, but thankfully it’s a bone,” Nevin said. “It’s not a ligament or anything like that. Guys have come back from this and did fine and played. Mike will be back with us at some point this year. I know he’s hungry. I also know he’s hurting, too. It’s tough to see.”

Nevin said Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell will fill in for Trout in center field. Adell was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake, along with right-hander Gerardo Reyes. Moniak started Tuesday against Padres right-hander Joe Musgrove. Moniak grew up in northern San Diego County and was the No 1 overall pick in the 2016 amateur draft, by Philadelphia.

“Today Mickey’s out there and he’s certainly been the guy who’s gone out there when Mike’s gone down before,” Nevin said. “I think somebody joked that I’ve given Mike six days off this year and we’ve won all six games, so we shouldn’t be so upset right now.”

Nevin said he spoke with players and the coaching staff to reassure them that the Angels are still in good shape. They’re three games above .500 and in third place in the AL West, six games behind the Texas Rangers and three games out of the third wild-card spot.

Nevin said he doesn’t want two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who leads the majors with 31 homes, “to try to do too much. Obviously everybody’s like, ‘Well you’ve still got Shohei.’ He’s going to get his pitches to hit. You can’t walk him every time. He’s going to go up and take quality at-bats and not try to do too much.”

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout has support from his manager Ron Washington about encouraging players to come and play with him in Anaheim.

Throughout his 13-year MLB career, Los Angeles Angels superstar center fielder Mike Trout has often been regarded as one of the quieter players in baseball. However, the three-time American League MVP might be changing that as his career approaches its conclusion, and has spoken up this winter about the Angels' recent approach to free agency.

Per Sam Blum of The Athletic, Trout recently spoke to the media after arriving to Angels camp yesterday and stated that he has heard interest from current MLB free agents about coming to Anaheim to play for the Angels. However, the decision to make the move and sign them remains up to Angels owner Arte Moreno.

"This offseason, I was in contact with both of them (Arte and Carpino), just pushing, pushing, pushing. There’s still some guys out there that can make this team a lot better. With the guys we’ve got out here now, it’s first day of spring. With the additions that Perry’s brought to this bullpen - I’ve always said playing good defense and having a good bullpen wins. You can look at that in the past.”"

- Per Sam Blum of The Athletic

LA Angels' star Mike Trout wants Arte Moreno to deliver him free agents

Trout did go on to acknowledge Moreno's approach in free agency in recent years, as he stated he came across a graph that had them 11th in free agency spending. Truth be told, he's not wrong, as the Angels have gone out in years past and signed big-name free agents like Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, C.J. Wilson and current Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon, who was inked to a seven-year deal worth up to $245 million. Depending on your viewpoint, some of those deals have often been considered as horrible signings over the years.

Following Trout's comments about the Angels' recent offseason approach, Blum went on to ask new manager Ron Washington his thoughts on whether any current free agents could help this organization become a better ballclub in 2024. Washington kept it simple and told Trout to "keep going".

"“He’s talked to me about it, and he’s talked to the man about it that can make a difference. And now it’s up to someone else to make the call.”"

- Per Sam Blum of The Athletic

Arte Moreno's recent comments on LA Angels free agency

As the Angels spent most of this offseason rebuilding a bullpen that was one of the best in the early part of the season last year, prior to its decimation by injuries, owner Arte Moreno recently laid out his plan for the future, as he has zero intentions to sell the organization.

Moreno stated that he is in it for the long haul with the Angels. As for the future of the organization, he stated that talks to renovate Angel Stadium are currently at a halt, as he beleives the city of Anaheim does not have an appetite for such chatter. He did say that the Angels' spring training complex in Tempe, AZ will commence renovations at the conclusion of this year's spring training. As for the future of the roster, Moreno went on to say the plan moving forward is to lower the budget of the Angels.

Over the last 10 years, the Angels have either been in the top 10 highest payrolls in baseball, or just outside the threshold. During that time, the Angels have only made the playoffs once, back in 2014, which was also the only time Trout has been in the postseason throughout his career.

While fans might not want to hear that the Angels will decrease the budget of the team, in the long term, this actually might be in the best interest for the organization. This high-spending recipe has not proven successful for them. Another reason the Angels might not be as aggressive in the market right now is that there might not be an interest in a long-term deal with both top free agent fits, Blake Snell and Cody Bellinger, who are seeking deals that will pay both of them above $30 million annually. Signing either player could continue to keep the Angels in this cycle of bad contracts.

While Snell is the reigning NL Cy Young winner, and Bellinger is a former 2019 NL MVP, the reality is both will likely seek long-term deals over five years and an AAV of $30 million with the club, which could put the Angels out of position from signing any other future free agents. They would nearly double their payroll by acquiring both players, while still having to pay the contracts of Trout and Rendon, who both make over $35 million annually.

The Mike Trout effect

Now, as Trout mentioned, he has talked to some players about playing for the Angels and they have expressed their interest. Which players has he talked to exactly? That remains unknown.

With Trout doing his own type of recruiting during free agency, I would like to think he has had at least one conversation with Snell and Bellinger about the possibility of playing for the Angels.

As Trout has been loyal throughout the course of his career to the Angels, it seems like Moreno almost owes him one, considering one of the game's greatest players has only seen the playoffs once in his career under ownership's watch.

If Trout has gotten players to express their interest in playing for the Angels, perhaps he might be able to become the messenger between Moreno and said free agent. Perhaps he could help broker a deal that would not only not burn the Angels in the long run, but would also be an offer said free agent couldn't refuse.

Given Moreno's recent comments about the payroll and what Trout said yesterday about the current state of the roster, Trout will have to keep Washington's words in his mind and keep going.

Mike Trout’s latest pledge of allegiance to the Angels raised eyebrows around baseball. If Trout really wanted to win as much as he said he did, how could he make another verbal commitment to such an obviously dysfunctional organization?

That was one way to view the remarks Trout made to reporters at Angel Stadium on Monday.

Here was another: Trout demonstrated character by refraining from any attempt to whine his way out of town. He accepted the consequences of a decision he made years ago, when he bound himself to this loser franchise in exchange for a record $426.5 million.

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“I got seven years left on the contract,” Trout said.

Trout will collect more than $248 million over those seven years. He doesn’t have the shamelessness to demand a trade, not when he’s averaged 79 games played over the last three seasons. In his case, a trade request would be more than a trade request. He would also be asking the Angels to continue paying a significant portion of his contract while he plays for another team.

But Trout’s loyalty — or inertia, depending on the perspective — presents a dilemma for the Angels. They couldn’t win with a healthy version of Trout and they certainly can’t win with a broken-down version of him. They can’t win paying more than $35 million annually to a part-time player.

The situation calls for the Angels to be proactive. They can’t count on him to break up with them, not after Trout said he expected to be “wearing an Angels uniform in spring.”

So, if Trout won’t raise the possibility of waiving the no-trade provision in his contract, the Angels have to. If he won’t broach the subject of a move to a contender, they have to.

A deal is what’s in the best interest of the Angels. It’s also what’s in the best interest of Trout.

There will be obstacles, however.

Earlier this month, USA Today reported the Angels were “open” to trading Trout “if he indicates to them that he wants out.” Owner Arte Moreno might be less open to the idea once he learns that dealing Trout would cost him more than his signature player.

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The Angels would have to throw in more than $100 million to persuade another team to take Trout’s contract, according to major league officials who spoke under the condition of anonymity because they are forbidden from talking about players on other teams.

Under this scenario, the team that traded for Trout would pay him about $20 million a year, which is what the officials estimated Trout would receive on the open market if he were a free agent. The Angels would be responsible for the other $15 million. The better the prospects the Angels received in exchange for Trout, the greater share of this salary they would have to cover.

The Angels could use the salary relief, even if it’s only for almost 60% of Trout’s salary. By now, they should know that spending close to half of the team’s payroll on just a few players doesn’t work. They owe $38 million a year over the next three seasons to another frequently-injured player, Anthony Rendon. Trout’s contract extends four years beyond that. Trout will be 39 when his deal expires.

A shift in mind-set is required. The quick-fix schemes aren’t working. The Angels have to take a more methodical approach to team building, and that starts with building up their minor league system.

When they acquired Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López at the trade deadline, much was made of how they sent two of their top three prospects to the Chicago White Sox. The problem wasn’t so much that the Angels traded catcher Edgar Quero and left-hander Ky Bush as much as it was that Quero and Bush were ranked by MLB Pipeline as the second- and third-best prospects in their farm system, respectively. Both players project to be fringe major leaguers, according to scouts familiar with them.

The Angels are unlikely to receive any high-end prospects in exchange for Trout — the benefits of trading him would be limited to salary relief — but dealing him would clear the path for them to start restocking their farm system. Because once they’ve traded Trout, they might as well also trade closer Carlos Estévez and infielder Brandon Drury, who were signed by general manager Perry Minasian to what turned out to be below-market deals. With Estévez due to make just $6.75 million next season and Drury $8.5 million, budget-conscious teams could be willing to exchange some mid-level prospects for them. They should approach the upcoming winter with the mind-set of discovering other bargains who could later be flipped for prospects.

Time will be required to gather a collection of prospects who will eventually provide the major league roster with relatively low-cost labor. The Angels will also have to do something they’ve never done under Moreno: Intentionally field a losing team.

Whatever his faults, Moreno has always tried to field a winning team. Unlike other similarly-positioned teams, the Angels have never purposely tanked under his watch.

However, Moreno’s approach hasn’t worked. Even with Minasian enjoying a productive winter last year, the Angels will finish this season by registering their eighth consecutive sub-.500 season. Tanking is repulsive, but it works. The Baltimore Orioles are now World Series contenders in part because of a stretch of dismal seasons that resulted in them picking early in draft after draft. The Chicago Cubs built a championship team by tanking. So did the Houston Astros.

None of this will sit well with Moreno, but what choice does he have?

Even if Shohei Ohtani re-signs with the Angels and rebuilding suddenly isn’t an option, they’re not going to win anytime soon if they’re paying upward of $120 million to three players. Rendon is untradeable. Trout can still be moved. Trout might be viewed as damaged goods, but, well, he’s Mike Trout. At a certain price, someone will take him.

Talking to a franchise player about waiving a no-trade clause can be tricky, especially when the franchise player is a model citizen like Trout. But the Angels can make a legitimate argument that a trade is also what’s best for him. They are stuck in a place from which there is no escape. Trout can either stay with them in this baseball dungeon or pursue October glory with a team that has a chance. A divorce would be painful for the Angels, but it would allow them to take the necessary step backward that will ultimately permit them to move forward.