What possible Mike Trout-to-Giants trade package might look like – NBC Sports Bay Area & California

If the Giants are looking to make a major move in the upcoming offseason, they might want to consider pursuing a standout player from the Los Angeles Angels.

Although the Giants are expected to aggressively pursue Shohei Ohtani, the two-way phenom and front-runner for AL MVP, there could be another star potentially leaving the Angels.

In early September, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Angels would be open to trading outfielder and three-time AL MVP Mike Trout this offseason if he expressed a desire to leave Anaheim.

Prior to the end of the 2023 MLB season, Trout was asked about the possibility of requesting a trade during the offseason. He stated that he hadn’t given it much thought but intended to have conversations with the front office about the organization’s future before making a decision.

While there is a growing possibility of Ohtani leaving in free agency, it is also possible that Trout requests a trade from Anaheim. This leads to the question: What would it take for the Giants to acquire this perennial superstar?

In his latest column, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter proposed five “wild” MLB trade ideas, one of which involved the Giants landing Trout in a blockbuster deal with the Angels.

Here is Reuter’s proposed trade:

Giants receive: Outfielder Mike Trout, $95 million
Angels receive: Outfielder Mitch Haniger, Left-Handed Pitcher Kyle Harrison, Right-Handed Pitcher Carson Seymour

While the Angels are unlikely to make this specific trade, it does offer insight into what they might request in return if they were to trade Trout. In the event that the Angels lose Ohtani and decide to trade Trout, they would likely prioritize clearing payroll. Trout signed a massive 12-year, $426 million contract extension with the Angels in March 2019, just three months after the team signed third baseman Anthony Rendon to a costly seven-year, $245 million contract in free agency.

The Angels are burdened by Rendon’s annual salary of $38 million through the 2026 season, which is why it seems unlikely that they would be willing to include $95 million in a trade deal along with Trout.

Trout is owed a substantial $248 million through the 2030 season ($35.4 million annually). The more one contemplates this potential trade, the more it resembles the deal made by the New York Yankees five years ago, when they acquired Giancarlo Stanton from the Miami Marlins. Stanton, like Trout, had a full no-trade clause and had over $200 million left on his contract. In that trade, the Yankees assumed the majority of Stanton’s contract, while the Marlins received a modest haul of prospects.

Although Trout is older (he is 32 years old) than Stanton was at the time of the trade (28), he comes with a much better track record and should command a higher return than what the Yankees gave up for Stanton.

While Reuter’s suggestion of pitching prospects in a trade for Trout is valid, the Angels would likely be uninterested in Mitch Haniger and might instead seek young corner infield depth. Although it is impossible to know the exact preferences of the Angels in a trade for Trout, here is a more realistic package:

Giants receive: Mike Trout, $30 million
Angels receive: Left-Handed Pitcher Kyle Harrison, Right-Handed Pitcher Mason Black, Third Baseman Casey Schmitt

This trade would provide the Angels with two potential starting pitchers in Harrison and Black who are ready for the MLB, an everyday third baseman in Schmitt, and financial relief from Trout’s contract, which could become burdensome in the future.

Trout has been the best player in baseball for over a decade and, when healthy, remains a strong contender for the MVP title. Undoubtedly, the future Hall of Famer would provide the Giants with the star power they have long desired. However, Trout’s recent injury history and his contract, which will pay him $35 million or more per season into his late 30s, should ultimately reduce the price tag for interested teams.

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