As the Washington Nationals explore moving Juan Soto, teams are wondering if other MVP-caliber players might be available before the 2022 MLB trade deadline. The Los Angeles Angels have received calls about both Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports.

The Angels are well on their way to missing the playoffs for an eighth-straight year. Los Angeles is 40-55 and fired manager Joe Maddon in the middle of the season. If L.A. agreed to trade Ohtani and Trout, the organization could receive a massive haul of talented young players and prospects to help rebuild the franchise.

Is there a chance that the Angels will trade Ohtani or Trout?

Unless something dramatic changes, both superstars will likely remain in Los Angeles for the remainder of the 2022 season. The Angels don’t plan on rebuilding, according to Rosenthal, and owner Arte Moreno reportedly likes having marquee names on his roster.

Ohtani is favored to win his second straight AL MVP award. The two-way superstar has pitched like a Cy Young candidate, going 9-5 with a 2.80 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 134 strikeouts in 93.1 innings. As a hitter, Ohtani has 20 home runs, 57 RBI and an .832 OPS.

Ohtani is only under contract for one and a half more seasons. If the Angels continue to remain out of the playoff picture, Los Angeles could risk losing him to a contender as a free agent after the 2023 season.

The Angels don’t have that same issue with Trout, who is signed to a historic $426 million contract that runs through the 2030 season. Trout can also block any trade in the event that Los Angeles tries to move him.

Trout had his first full MLB season in 2012 and was the undisputed best player in baseball for the first decade of his career. Trout won three AL MVP awards and was the runner-up three more times. Trout missed most of last year with injuries, and it was the first time that he didn’t finish as a top-five MVP candidate.

Trout is 30 years old and back on the injured list. The outfielder is still among the most productive players in the league. In 79 games, he’s hitting .270/.368/,967 with 24 home runs.

The Angels have MLB’s ninth-highest payroll, according to Spotrac.

Mike Trout
Mike Trout is likely to spend his entire baseball career with the Los Angeles Angels. In this picture, Trout #27 poses for a portrait during Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim photo day in Tempe, Arizona, Feb. 19, 2019. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
RELATED STORIES