Earlier this week, Mike Felger of 98.5 The Sports Hub made a claim that could leave Boston Red Sox fans with mixed feelings. On Tuesday’s runnings of the Felger and Mazz radio show, with Tony Massarotti, he stated that a “loose” source informed him that the Red Sox were interested in Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout. Now, Felger did have a disclaimer, saying that his source is not exactly a verifiable baseball source, and expressed the key of a loose source here. Felger said, “But if something interesting comes across my phone, I’m going to present it, and don’t blame me.”
With that type of response from a guy whose source may not be that involved, it’s very important to take this rumor with a grain of salt. Is it possible it’s true? Sure. But even MLB insider Jon Heyman ruled it highly improbable that Trout gets traded at all, let alone to Boston. However, a Mike Trout Red Sox trade would be an interesting move for a team that needs desperate help in several areas.
.@mikefelger has a brown-checkmark source that says “don’t be surprised” if the Red Sox trade for Mike Trout 🍿@FelgerAndMazz @TonyMassarotti @bigjimmurray @IAmJamesStewart @MaggioreKevin @_JakeSeymour pic.twitter.com/xln3NN2dai
— 98.5 The Sports Hub (@985TheSportsHub) May 12, 2026
Pros of a Possible Mike Trout Red Sox Deal
True Leader
The Red Sox had a lot of success last year, making the postseason for the first time since 2021. While credit could be given to the youth of the team getting it together, along with an underrated pitching rotation, there’s another reason. The Red Sox brought in Alex Bregman the offseason prior. Bregman was said to be a true leader for this young team, specifically for prospects like Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony. But Bregman’s help also extends to someone like Ceddanne Rafaela, who had been up a couple of years but always struggled at the plate. Rafaela’s bat was a huge part of the turnaround in July 2025 that helped position Boston as a postseason contender.
This year, the Red Sox lack a guy who’s unanimously seen as the leader of the team. Trevor Story hasn’t really given off that vibe this year. And Willson Contreras, while a good catcher and passionate about baseball, threw a shot at the young guys earlier this season, which isn’t leader-like. The belief is that Trout could slide into that new Bregman-like role, based on his accolades.
Could Provide Power
This is completely stating the obvious, but it’s no secret that the Red Sox have power-hitting issues. While he couldn’t completely fix the issue, Trout could turn it around a little. Despite struggling in the last two weeks, the 34-year-old currently has 11 homers this season. Granted, five of those came in Trout’s recent tear against the New York Yankees, but 11 homers would be the most on the Red Sox, as well as the only guy in double digits. When looking at his spray chart, 10 of his 11 are to left field. When healthy, he still has power. And that power to left field in Fenway could be really helpful for this team.
Cons of A Mike Trout Red Sox Deal
Health
This is probably the most obvious concern with Trout. He’s one of the best players of the past 25 years. He’s an 11-time All-Star, three-time American League MVP (and runner-up in his rookie year), and has over 400 career home runs. But he’s played over 100 games in a season twice since 2021 (could be three should he stay healthy this season). When he does play, he’s very successful. But it’s just getting him to stay on the field. He may be a better player than Story, but should the Sox pull off this trade, they risk having the same result, given the 12-year extension he signed with the Angels in 2019.
The Players to Trade
According to this rumor, the Angels really like Jarren Duran and Brayan Bello as a return package. Now, if this were 2022, this would be a totally fine trade package with an extra player. But it’s 2026, so two things are concerning about this package, one from the Red Sox side, and one from the Angels.
First, from the Red Sox perspective. Trout, as stated above, is a phenomenal player. But he isn’t the player he used to be. He’s 34, he’s injury-prone, and he’s been making $430 million over 12 years (2019-2030), an average of $36 million per year. That contract alone may make them not want to do this. Bello ($6 million) and Duran ($7.7 million) combined in 2026 are making $13.7 million combined, with Duran possibly making more on incentives. The Sox would be giving up two pretty good contracts for an aging, expensive veteran.
Then there’s the Angels’ side of this. They would be receiving two players who do have good tools, but in 2026 have been massively struggling thus far.
- Duran: .173/.233/.296, four homers, 18 RBIs
- Bello: 2-4 record, 6.46 ERA, 1.71 K/BB ratio
Duran is still a player who can average 40 doubles a year, and Bello’s starting to bounce back, so it’s possible that it would just be these two. But there’s also a chance that the Angels want a rising minor leaguer. And the Red Sox prospects list is full of those.
The Last Word
While there’s no doubt that the thought of Trout coming to Boston would be intriguing and something to watch for fans, logistically, it wouldn’t make sense. Knowing how the front office was avoiding power hitters in their early thirties this offseason, it wouldn’t make sense for them to go after someone older than those guys.
It’s important to note that Trout also has a no-trade clause in that contract. And the way that the Red Sox have started out this year, it’s not looking like Boston would be a team for whom the outfielder would waive his no-trade clause. It would be fun to imagine, but it’s highly improbable.
In addition, the outfield would be in the same place as it is currently. The designated hitter option would be Trout or a 22-year-old Anthony. Masataka Yoshida’s place in the Red Sox outfield would still be up in the air. It would just make more sense to get a better middle infielder with a good bat. But time will tell how this plays out.
Main Photo Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
