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Mike Trout is one of the greatest MLB players of all time. However, his last few seasons with the Los Angeles Angels have not gone as planned. Trout has dealt with numerous injury issues that have kept him off the field, and even when he has been healthy, the organization has been unable to build a winning program around the center fielder. The Angels even let Shohei Ohtani walk in free agency, and the defending NL MVP immediately won the World Series after leaving for the other team in Los Angeles.
Trout is Angels royalty, and it is fair to assume that he could remain with the team for his entire career. However, being that his talent is so immense, it could be smart for the Angels to trade him for a massive haul of prospects and players. After all, the Angels roster isn't expected to contend for the World Series as it stands, and Trout's trade value will only decrease as he ages, especially if the injury bug continues to bite him. One team that makes sense for a hypothetical Trout trade is the San Diego Padres. If the two were to do business together, what could a trade look like?
Padres trade proposal for Mike Trout
Padres receive: Mike Trout
Angels receive: Leo De Vries (Padres No. 1, MLB No. 17), Boston Bateman (Padres N0. 5), Tirso Ornelas (Padres No. 11)
The Padres have shuffled star players on and off of their roster in recent seasons, but they are once again a team stacked with talent in 2025. That has led to one of the hottest stretches to start the new league year. San Diego is 7-2, and they even won each of their first seven games.
Somehow, though, they only sit in third place in the NL West. The Dodgers look unbeatable, and the San Francisco Giants have impressed with a 7-1 start in their own right. In such a stacked division, it will take more than even expected to outlast the competition. The Padres have often been trade buyers in recent years, and they should look to buy Trout this season, preferably sooner rather than later.
Trout's resume stacks up well against anybody. He has 11 All-Star nods, nine Silver Sluggers, and three MVPs to his name. However, his trade value has never been lower, so now is the time to swoop in and score him via trade. Trout has slumped to start the year, batting only .172 through eight games. He has also only surpassed 100 games played once in the last five seasons.
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Those factors make Trout a risky trade acquisition, but the reward can certainly be worth it. A five-tool, MVP-level player is in there somewhere, and you can't get those types of players for as cheap as the Padres would in this proposed deal. Trout is a center fielder, but Jackson Merrill has emerged as a star in center for the Padres. A move to left field, and some more time at designated hitter, could be beneficial to Trout as he gets older, though.
Plus, with players like Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts on the roster, the burden of being the top dog that Trout has had in Los Angeles would disappear. Trout deserves to compete for a championship, and that will likely never come in Los Angeles. Trout hasn't shown any desire to leave the team he has played his entire career with, but baseball fans around the world would certainly like to see him on a new team. A change of scenery could be exactly what Trout needs to get back to his normal level of production, too.
Mike Trout's departure from the Angels would signal the end of an era
While fans would enjoy seeing Trout compete for a championship, they'd also be sad to see him leave the team that he has spent his entire career with. So many MLB legends spent their entire career in one city, but that has become somewhat rare in the modern game.
That loyalty is admirable, but sometimes change is necessary. Trout was once the face of baseball, but his star power has faded significantly recently. A trade to a big-market team with championship admiration and plenty of other stars would bring the outfielder back to the light.
This is also a move that makes sense for the Angels. Trout may continue struggling with injuries, which would lead to the Angels being stuck with his big contract for a player who isn't who he once was on the field. Now is the time to move him. After all, the Angels likely aren't going to have any team success even with him on the roster. The Padres have an impressive farm system that is filled with great young players in the lower levels of the minor leagues. The ones that the Angels trade for could help Los Angeles turn the page.
Leo De Vries, in particular, would be a great addition to the Angels. De Vries is one of the best prospects in baseball, and he has the potential to replace Trout as the next franchise player. The Angels need to enter a new era, and a Trout trade is the easiest way to do that.
