As the Los Angeles Angels await Shohei Ohtani’s decision in free agency, general manager Perry Minasian spiked speculation the franchise would look to unload their other perennial MVP candidate this offseason.
“Mike Trout is not getting traded. 100 percent,” Minasian said Tuesday at the MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn.
New manager Ron Washington withheld comment on his superstar tandem on Tuesday for fear or “letting anything out of the bag,” especially as it concerns the secrecy around what Ohtani might do in free agency. Minasian admitted to juggling a few scenarios as it relates to the Angels’ budget. In an ideal scenario for the GM, he brings back Ohtani on what could be a $50-million plus annual price tag.
“We’ve spent a lot of time up to this point, going through 1,000 different scenarios.” Minasian said. “So ‘difficult’ would be the wrong word. I think we have to be able to make adjustments. We have to have a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, Plan D and be able to think on our feet. We have to explore the trade market, maybe more than we have in the past. There are some interesting names on the trade front that we’ve had discussions about.”
Minasian said the Angels are big believers in Trout returning to form after multiple injuries derailed his 2023 season. He played 82 games because of a fractured hamate bone.
Trout, a three-time MVP, is signed through 2031 and has a salary of $35.5 million in 2024. A franchise pillar since his debut as a 19-year-old in 2011, Trout, 32, is a lifetime .301 hitter with 368 career home runs.
He’ll be paid less in 2024 than third baseman Anthony Rendon. Rendon, 33, has a salary of $38 million each of the next three seasons.
Minasian made no promises about Rendon’s roster status as he did Trout. He did say he is optimistic a bounce-back season from the everyday third baseman is possible because Rendon has a “chip on his shoulder” after batting .236 with two home runs last season.
–Field Level Media
