Mike Trout is arguably the best player in baseball, and he hasn’t even entered his prime yet. At just twenty-four years old and signed to a very reasonable contract, Trout should be competing for World Series trophies to go along with his individual hardware; however, due to some poor free agent signings and player development by the Los Angeles Angels, Trout could find himself in a wasteland for the next several years.
We all know Trout’s story by now; he burst onto the scene alongside Bryce Harper and Manny Machado a few years ago and quickly established himself on his way to winning Rookie of the Year and a Most Valuable Player award during his short career.
With a franchise centerfielder, you would think the Angels should be primed for contention for years to come, right? Well due to some egregious free agent signings and other big money commitments to Albert Pujols and Jered Weaver, things look bleak at best for Trout and company.
Take a look at the Opening Day lineup that trotted out to play the Chicago Cubs. Not exactly a murderer’s row of talent, eh?
Pujols can still provide some pop, but he does move very much like a zombie at this point of his career, and the Angels can’t exactly be thrilled that they have nearly $170 million and six years left on what amounts to a designated hitter.
Kole Calhoun is a solid, everyday player who should continue to get better, and while he might not pack too much of a punch offensively, there are no better defensive shortstops in baseball then Andrelton Simmons.
Outside of those few bright spots, there isn’t much doing in the way of excitement in the Angels lineup.
Honestly, the rotation isn’t much better, either. Garrett Richards and Andrew Heaney form a solid one-two punch at the top of the rotation, but after them, things get a little dicey. Hector Santiago was an All Star last year, but he struggled in the second half of the season. C.J. Wilson is on the disabled list again, and no one is sure what (if anything) Jered Weaver has left in the tank.
Now, if this was just a one year thing, we could expect the Angels to take a step back this year, and start to rebuild and get back into contention ASAP. However, they have so much money locked up in players such as Pujols and Weaver, and let’s not forget all the money they still owe Josh Hamilton, that it’s going to be tough for a team with the seventh-highest payroll in the sport to take on any pending free agents.
Trout doesn’t become a free agent until after the 2020 season, and while the Angels should have rid themselves of most of those bad contracts by then , Trout will have to seriously consider whether he wants to re-sign with the team. He’ll be entering his age-29 season and will be in the absolute prime of his career, and if the Angels are going to struggling to contend the next few years, it might be worth it for Trout to roll the dice with a new team.
Mike Trout is a generational talent who has all the tools to transcend the game of baseball before he finishes up his career. It’s a shame he’s stuck with the Walking Dead as his supporting staff.
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