Mike Trout may be hitting .242 with 14 homers this season, hinting at his rebound after a long time, but that still isn’t helping the Angels much. The Angels are one of the worst teams in MLB this year with a 23-38 record, and Trout’s humongous $426.5 million contract might be the first thing they need to let go to build the team for the future. For Joe Maddon, who managed the Angels between 2020 and 2022, the Angels may just have lost their best chance years ago.

“I really thought when Shohei [Ohtani] left a couple of years ago [in free agency], they should have traded Mike at that point, although he had been hurt a lot,” Maddon said in an interview with The Inquirer’s Scott Lauber. “Right now, he’s playing every day; his OPS is good; he’s getting on base a lot. He looks fine in the outfield. I watch him move around; he looks like he’s pretty healthy right now. So this is the optimal moment to do it, or you can just eat it.”

Shohei Ohtani was the reigning Baseball America Major League Player of the Year in 2023 when his contract with the Angels expired. He chose to hit free agency, only to be picked by the Dodgers for $700 million. Trout finished the 2023 strong, hitting .263 and belting 18 homers. In comparison, Trout signed his 12-year contract in 2019, and the Angels could have traded him by 2023, at his age of 31 and in the middle of his strong numbers. The Angels chose not to, and we can’t blame either.

Trout’s $426.5 million and 12-year contract features a full no-trade clause with no opt-out. That means the Angels have no option to trade him out before his age-39 season, and till then, Trout would fetch $35.5 million AAV. For a team that had its last winning season back in 2015 and is gasping for younger blood, Trout’s contract serves as a brutal reminder of botched projections.

Amid this, Trout’s latest numbers offer a different concern. Should the Angels then try to trade Trout now? Maddon approves, and so does The Athletic’s Keith Law. “The Angels need to look into trading him right now, as his value will never be higher, and his contract is still a major risk for them,” Law said.

Trout’s .410 OBP this year is his best since 2021, when he had an above .400 OBP for the last time. He mostly played in the Designated Hitter or corner outfield spots in 2024 and 2025 due to knee injuries. This year, he has successfully returned to playing center field. Moreover, following multiple surgeries on his left knee, Trout’s sprint speed heavily dipped. In 2026, his sprint speed to first base has routinely touched the elite 29.9 ft/sec threshold, his best numbers since 2023.

Trout is 34 now, and considering his injury frequency, the Angels might have the best time now to trade him. Trout has been facing a knee injury since 2024 and has yet to play a full 162-game season since 2021. 2026, though, shows a different picture of a healthy and performing Mike Trout. Maddon thinks the responsibility lies with the Angels. “Mike’s not going to be proactively involved in setting this up. It’s got to be the Angels to him, I think,” Maddon added.

The Angels need to persuade Trout for a trade, and if he agrees, no time should be wasted. But all eyes will be on who will pick Trout.

Multiple destinations await Mike Trout

Mike Trout is 34 now, and he still owes $178 million over the next four-plus years. So, for any suitor, that would be a costly buy, but options are still there.

The first name in any blockbuster trade rumor would always be the Dodgers. Fans would surely like to see another Trout-Ohtani partnership after 2023. The Dodgers have the financial resources, and with names like Miguel Rojas and Freddie Freeman’s retirement rumors rising, adding Trout for the next few years could bring stability.

A .250 batting average would do enough for both Trout and the Dodgers, but we are uncertain if the Dodgers would splash $178 million for such stats.

The Yankees could be another landing spot. Trent Grisham’s .207 batting cries for support, and Trout could be that in the middle with Aaron Judge. Lastly, Trout could get back to his hometown, Philadelphia. Trout’s hometown team, the Phillies, is another frequent trade rumor. The Phillies are in “win-now” mode and have the payroll capacity to pair him with Bryce Harper.

Suitors are ready, and maybe the Angels are also, but let’s now see if Mike Trout would like to change his jersey this time.