If Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno ever wants to see his team return to relevance, he needs to trade franchise star Mike Trout while he still has some value.
Two years ago, Moreno made the mind-numbing decision to hold onto two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani through the trade deadline. Moreno hoped to make one last playoff run before he left in free agency, but the team limped to a 79-83 finish before he signed the $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sadly, injuries limited Mike Trout to 266 total games over his previous four seasons. He just came off the injured list after missing a month of action, too.
If Trout and the Angels agree to a split, the struggling Toronto Blue Jays (31-29) should have the LA front office on speed dial. Toronto needs another veteran impact bat, and a do-it-all star like Trout could be the final piece.
Back in September, Sam Blum and Andy McCullough of The Athletic spoke to one MLB executive who said Los Angeles “would have to eat more than half the money just to bring a potential partner to the table.”
The Jays just gave Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a $500 million extension, months after overpaying a struggling Anthony Santander for $92.5 million over five years. If the Angels are willing to eat some of the money on Mike Trout’s deal (just over $220 million), Toronto’s deep-pocketed ownership needs to take a chance on the three-time AL MVP.
What Blue Jays Should Offer Angels For Mike Trout
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The Blue Jays would lessen the cost of a trade for Trout by agreeing to retain most of the remaining deals. So let’s assume they agree to take on $160 million, meaning LA would only have to take on approximately $60 million.
In that case, Toronto could probably entice Los Angeles by offering outfielder Dalton Varsho (a fine defensive replacement for Trout), former ace Alek Manoah (just 27 and recovering from elbow surgery), infielder Orelvis Martinez (Toronto’s No. 3 ranked prospect at MLB.com) and pitcher Landen Maroudis (No. 7).
Suddenly, a lineup of Trout, Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk and George Springer is well-suited to do plenty of damage in the AL and help the Jays re-emerge as a playoff contender.
