Cody Snavely
It was reported late last night by Héctor Gómez that the Dodgers will be heavily invested in Shohei Ohtani and his former teammate Mike Trout.
The Dodgers have made it clear that they will be heavily involved in the trade and free agent market to help get over the October hump in 2024, but a rumored trade for Mike Trout puts that statement on another level. But is it true, and can it happen?
Why it won’t happen
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, and that is the Angels owner who has made known his disdain for the Dodgers. Arte Moreno has owned the Angels since 2003 and, in his tenure as the owner, had been the league’s definition of mediocrity even with the two greatest players of this generation playing for him. It has been primarily reported that Moreno and the Dodgers do not get along, and after a botched Joc Pederson trade in the 2019 offseason, those feelings still remain. Despite the logical sense to trade Trout as he enters his mid-30s, Moreno would likely have to sell the team or change his heart about the Dodgers for a deal to happen.
In terms of actual baseball reasons, a trade for Mike Trout is very complicated, even though he is widely considered one of the best, if not the best, players in baseball today. The three-time AL MVP and eleven-time all-star signed a record-breaking 12-year 426.5 million dollar contract extension with a base salary of around 35.4 million dollars a year. At the time, the Angels made the no-brainer decision and locked up their franchise player. Still, due to recent injuries to Trout and the seven years remaining on the deal, it seems logical that Trout could be on the move if the Angels were willing to listen. However, even if the Angels were to trade Trout, there are two hiccups. One Trout has a full no-trade clause. Second, Trout is arguably at his lowest value due to injury, years remaining, and salary.
Still, Trout, when healthy, will produce at an elite level, which, if you are the Dodgers or any other team, would gladly take even with his negative trade value as it stands right now.
Why it could happen
Okay, if the Angels and the Dodgers could agree on a Trout trade, why does it make sense, and why could it happen? For starters, the Dodgers have one of the deepest minor league systems in the sport, whether it’s position players or pitching, so they have the prospect capital to get a deal done. However, one catch is all signs indicate that the Angels do not want to enter a deep rebuild, so they would likely ask for a combination of minor and major league players. Even with that being said, the Dodgers perhaps line up the best for the Angels as they have plenty of players to spare.
Regarding the Ohtani chase, what better way to convince him than trading for his former teammate to play for a perennial World Series contender, a team that has made the postseason every year since 2013 than the Dodgers? As Héctor Gómez put it, the Dodgers are looking for BOTH, and I think it is an idea that both players, fans, and ownership would agree with.
What a possible trade could look like?
My usual go-to trade tool is Baseball Trade Values, but in this case, it is tricky as Trout in their system has a negative 83.9 million trade value, which is very steep to come back from. However, Mike Trout is among the best MLB players and would instantly be a considerable team pick-up. The Dodgers could send over anyone from Emmet Sheehan, Nick Frasso, Gavin Stone, Ryan Pepiot, Michael Busch, Miguel Vargas, James Outman, Dalton Rushing, Diego Cartaya, Kendall George, and potentially additional players from their Major League roster as well. To get this return, however, the Angels would have to eat a massive chunk of Trout’s remaining salary, anywhere from 50-70 million dollars.
Conclusion
The Dodgers will no doubt be on the prowl for talent this winter as they look to come back after back-to-back embarrassment in October, where they won over one hundred games and only have one postseason win to show for it. If a trade for Trout is on the table and the Angels are willing to trade with their freeway rivals, then I think it is a no-brainer the Dodgers should pull the trigger, even with the potential baggage.
