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Obligatory, Annual Blog About the Phillies Bringing Mike Trout Home
By Matt Schultz
Published:
Mike Trout has been playing some good baseball this season – his slash line is .242/.410/.488 in 60 games – and in some ways, he’s playing as well as he ever has. His .410 OBP is elite stuff, and 57 walks leads Major League Baseball. The .242 AVG isn’t anything to write home about, but his power is still there (14 HR to go with an OPS right around .900) even though he’s still striking out a bunch – but he’s always done that, so who cares. The bottom line is that he’s been a productive and, most importantly, healthy everyday player for the Angels:
And that is why we, as Phillies fans, must talk about bringing the boy home. The Angels are 23-38 and last place in the AL West. Trout has four more years after this one at $35 million on his contract. But we have to do this at least once a year and right now is the time. That’s just the way it is, in part because this great Scott Lauber interview with Joe Maddon in the Inquirer has me thinking about it. There’s some good stuff in here:
Q: “You managed Trout for parts of three years, which I think equips you to handle this question: Why do you think he has never asked for a trade from the Angels? And do you think that will ever change?”
A: “He’s from Millville, [N.J.], not far from Philadelphia. He’s a small town guy. I’m a small town guy. I’m in Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania. My hometown, Hazleton, is right over there. Sensibility-wise, it’s like loyalty. We were raised that way. I was never of the ilk that I’m going to walk into the boss’ office and demand anything. I just think there’s a level of loyalty that has been embedded in us, whether it’s through your parents, your coaches, your teachers, the city itself.
So, I just think the reason why that hasn’t happened [is] because that’s who he is. He’s not going to do that. And then you got [owner] Arte [Moreno] on the other side, who, I don’t think wants to be the guy that trades Mike Trout, either. I think there’s these opposing forces at work right here. The only way it’s going to happen, I think, is if the Angels decide that they’d like to do this, they would then approach Mike about it. And then if they were to do it that way, I think that would become more amenable to Mike. But for him to be proactively trying to get this done, I don’t see that happening.
… I really thought when Shohei [Ohtani] left a couple years ago [in free agency], they should have traded Mike at that point, although he had been hurt a lot. 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 just can eat it. … Mike’s not going to be proactively involved in setting this up. It’s got to be the Angels to him, I think. And then at that point, I think Mike would probably acquiesce and move it from there. But I just think it has a lot to do with where he’s from, how he grew up, who his parents are. I think you’re not going to be very demanding to your employers, your boss at that point.”
I’m not an insider, of course, but all this sounds right to me. I think if Trout was going to ask for a trade, he would’ve done it by now. But for whatever reason, right or wrong, he doesn’t see himself as the kind of guy to do this. Which, for the record, is weird as hell. I don’t understand it. Insane that Mike Trout views himself as an “aw shucks” small town guy who’s too shy to ask for a trade. What a weird way to think of yourself: “Hello, yes. My name is Mike Trout. I’m 34 years old. I’m a millionaire hundreds of times over. I have two children. But the main thing about me is that I’m bashful. I blush. I hide behind adults’ legs. I can’t look you in the eye. When a stranger tries talking to me, I walk right into my mom’s lap and hide my face. I could never ask for a trade. That’s not the way of the shy men. I weigh 235 pounds. 200-plus pound guys can be timid. Weight has nothing to do with it. I’m a withdrawn 200-pounder.”
Anyway, my opinion on his personality aside (seems like a very weird guy), he’d be an incredibly nice addition to the Phils’ lineup, not that I think it’ll happen. I agree with Maddon’s assessment: if the Phillies are going to trade for Mike Trout, it feels like it’d require 1) the Phillies approaching the Angels and getting them to engage in serious talks, and 2) the Angels actually wanting to make the move. I could see Trout being talked into it if it’s the Angels’ idea – but unless the Angels take the initiative, I just don’t see it.
Here’s to hoping the Angels realize they’re better off getting something than nothing for their future Hall of Famer, or Mike Trout takes a MasterClass on confidence and asks for a trade already.
Matt Schultz is a comedy and sports writer from Philadelphia. He’s written extensively for ClickHole, The Onion, and Conan O’Brien’s Team Coco. His work has been featured in Vulture, Deadspin, The A.V. Club, Paste Magazine, and other publications. Much of his sports journalism can be found on college basketball websites that don’t exist anymore (PhilaHoops Heads rise up…)