Trout Offers Approval As Angels Blow It Up At Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Angels just had a blowout trade deadline that featured nearly half their pitching staff moving on along with a couple of key lineup pieces, but star outfielder Mike Trout wasn’t part of the offer process, according to a piece from Rhett Bollinger of MLB .com. 

“Nah, it hasn't changed anything,” Trout said. “But we're not where we want to be. Doing what we did, I think helps our future. And we’ll see where it goes.”

Trout has a no-trade clause that will pay him $37.1 million annually through 2030, but he wants to stay with the franchise. He did meet with GM John Mozeliak prior to the deadline, and he was even invited into the club’s trade room by Mozeliak before the moves went down, although Trout downplayed that meeting. 

“People were blowing it up,” Trout said. “It wasn't what everybody's saying. Basically, just going over everything. It wasn't like I was telling him, 'Oh, trade this guy, trade that guy.' It was basically just a plan. It was just Mo trying to build a relationship with me in the couple weeks he's been here. Just being transparent. I think that's the biggest thing.”

Mozeliak said he did this to give Trout what he called his “vision for the organization,” according to Bollinger, which makes sense given that Trout is one of the few reasons to watch the Angels these days. 

“He truly loves the game of baseball and so he was just curious of what this whole thing looked like,” Mozeliak said. “He's the face of this franchise, and from where I stand, we want to get this better for him and for others because our fans want to see winning, and that's the goal of what we're trying to accomplish.”

Trout’s assessment of where the Angels was as blunt as the team’s won/loss record, as the Halos became the first team to get to 70 losses this week against the Baltimore Orioles. 

"We've got to look at ourselves in the mirror,” Trout said. “We're not where we want to be. I think the best step in the best direction to turn things around is to do what we did. It's tough seeing your teammates go. Built great relationships with all the guys. It’s a family. It's a brotherhood. We see these guys more than our regular family. That's the toughest thing, but we got some great prospects in return.”

It’s somewhat amusing to learn that Trout’s knowledge of his new teammates comes from his penchant for card collecting. That’s how he knows about key prospects like shortstop Arjun Nimmala (the club's new No. 2 prospect), right-hander Mason McGwire and catcher Jacob Cozart.

“You can see the responses and everybody was excited about the Deadline,” Trout said. “The [media] and the scouts said Mo did a good job. I follow a lot of these prospects, collecting cards, so I know the majority of the prospects that were getting traded. So we got a great boost in the farm system and we’ll see where it goes.”