Philadelphia Phillies Rumors: Could Mike Trout Be Traded To The Phillies?
With a record of 16-14, the Philadelphia Phillies are off to a surprisingly hot start. For a team that almost lost 100 games last season, the Phillies were, once again, expected to be one of the worst teams in the entire MLB this year. While the Phillies’ early season success is unlikely to translate into a playoff berth, there appears to be hope for the future. Reports are conflicted, but the latest rumors are saying that the Phillies could trade for Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout.
Like the Phillies, the Angels are also in for a long season. While Trout is off to another hot start, the team as a whole does not have much of a future. With aging veterans and millions of dollars dedicated to players that are no longer productive, the Angels are going to have to go through a serious rebuilding process in the near future. While the Phillies and Angels will both miss the playoffs, the Phillies have a lot going for them, including young talent and a stocked farm system. Even though it is only the opinion of one analyst, an MLB insider from SB Nation believes that the Angels have one of the worst farm systems that he has ever seen.
“I’ve been doing these rankings for eight years now, and (the Angels’ farm system) is by far the worst system I’ve ever seen.”
While Trout is young and one of the best players in the league, it is unlikely that the Angels will be competitive for the duration of his contract. At only 24-years-old, Trout’s best baseball is still ahead of him, but does he really want to waste the next few years playing for a team that has no chance to compete?
The Angels won't trade Mike Trout, but Twitter's talking about it anyway https://t.co/iWjd0r5qmq pic.twitter.com/BIAvaOVPtc
— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) May 6, 2016
As Bleacher Report notes, Angels general manager Billy Eppler recently came out and said the organization will not trade Trout. While it is always important to keep your best player, moving Trout could be for the better of the franchise. With an extremely poor farm system, the Angels will be drafting high for the foreseeable future. The problem is the team needs multiple prospects with potential. Since Albert Pujols currently has no trade value, Trout is, by far, the organization’s most valued asset and the only player that could fetch a huge return of young talent.
Regardless of what Eppler says, Trout will be traded if the Angels receive the right offer, and that is true for basically any player in the MLB. Whether or not the Angels receive such an offer remains to be seen, but Trout’s favorite childhood team, the Philadelphia Phillies, could make a lot of sense.
#Angels' Eppler: Not trading Trout, not ready to trade others. Story:… https://t.co/nKcyUrdGCw
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) May 6, 2016
In addition to having a significant amount of salary cap money and a huge budget, the Phillies also have the pieces needed to acquire Trout, as Forbes reports.
“Trout, who grew up a Phillies fan in southern New Jersey, may be due for a homecoming. The Phillies have the chips to acquire him after undergoing a major rebuilding project over the last couple of years. With six prospects in Baseball America’s top 100 list, including shortstop J.P. Crawford (No. 4), the Angels would have a lot of players to choose from. The Phillies would also be able to bring aboard other stars to compliment Trout, considering they currently have $0 in payroll obligations in 2019.”
While business surely overrides Trout’s love for the Phillies at this point in his life, the odds are strong that he would be open to the idea of returning to his hometown team. The only issue is whether or not he would prefer to join a team that has a chance to win a championship this year. Since the Phillies are still at least two years away from being a legitimate World Series threat, they are still going to go through some growing pains. Regardless, the Phillies’ future is currently much brighter than the Angels’, so Trout may prefer to spend the next few seasons with a team on the rise, as opposed to a team on the decline.
While Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim outfielder Mike Trout is apparently not on the trading block at the current moment, this all could change over the next few months. The Angels are not going to be a strong team this year, so it may be in the team’s best interest to move their young star. With Trout’s favorite childhood team, the Philadelphia Phillies, on the rise, rumors will continue to link the two.
[Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images]
