Phillies: Five blockbuster trade packages for Mike Trout
What would it take to get Mike Trout out of LA and on the Phillies
Trading Mike Trout is something that would rock the baseball world, and Phillies fans are all about the idea of acquiring the Millville native, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan.
Already among the all-time greats just 27-years-old, Trout would command the biggest haul perhaps not just baseball history, but in the history of American sports.
In his first eight years he’s won Rookie of the Year, two MVPs, five Silver Sluggers, seven All-Stars, and two All-Star MVPs. His 62.3 WAR is better than Hall of Famers Mike Piazza, Yogi Berra, Harmon Killebrew, as well as future Hall of Famers and legends David Ortiz, Ichiro, and Joe Mauer.
He’s passed 200 home runs, 600 RIB and 1100 hits in just over 1,000 career games, and he’s projected to be an all-time great when it’s all said and done.
However, the Angels have made the playoffs once in Trout’s eight seasons and their projectory is not favorable despite multiple additions last offseason. Trout has two years remaining on his contract worth over $34 million per year, so he’s under control for the time being.
The Orioles flopped on trading Manny Machado without a deal beyond this year and getting only a fraction what they would have last year. Washington appears to have done the same by not trading Bryce Harper in the final year of his contract this year.
Many believe it’s time for the Angels to trade Trout to the highest bidder while his value is at an all-time high with controllability set through the 2020 season at age 28.
STEP 1: Offer Mike Trout 10 years/$370 million this off-season.
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) September 7, 2018
STEP 2: ❓
STEP 3: Profit
... and if you can't sign him, it's time to trade him.#TheHaloWay @JimBowdenGM, with @Jim_Duquette, on why it may finally be time for the #Angels to move their superstar this winter: pic.twitter.com/s61SDiwMkv
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) provided this theoretical trade conjured up by a major league executive in his overview of the Trout situation in Los Angeles.
The exec proposed the following package from the Braves: Outfielder Ender Inciarte and left-hander Sean Newcomb plus the Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 7 prospects, according to MLBPipeline.com, from a talent-rich system: right-handers Kyle Wright and Ian Anderson, third baseman Austin Riley and righty Touki Toussaint. Sounds like a lot? Of course it’s a lot — the Braves would be getting Mike Trout.
With that being said, what would a Phillies trade package for Mike Trout look like?
I think there are three untouchable players in the Phillies entire organization: Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins, and Sixto Sanchez. Everyone else from Adonis Medina to Mickey Moniak to Nick Williams to Jorge Alfaro could be available in some form of a deal.
If Los Angeles wouldn’t do the deal without Sixto Sanchez, I think the Phillies would (somewhat) reluctantly pull the trigger on a deal involving their top prospect.
Medina, the organization’s second-best pitching prospect was reportedly involved with a potential Manny Machado trade with Baltimore that never transpired. The organization appears ready to deal him but dealing him and Sanchez is a stretch.
Alfaro has been considered the catcher of the future being under contract until 2024. Los Angeles needs a catcher. Would the Phillies re-sign Wilson Ramos and roll with Andrew Knapp as their backup for the next two or three years until a better option comes along?
Catchers are a rare commodity, so I think Alfaro would be safe from most trades, but not untouchable for Trout.
I think any outfielder in the organization outside of Hoskins is on the table. Would the Phillies trade both former first round picks Mickey Moniak and Adam Haseley?
Los Angeles’s farm system is so bad they may ask for both with the hope that Haseley can contribute as early as next summer and potentially be in the starting lineup for 2020.
Philadelphia’s most recent first round pick, third baseman Alec Bohm, could be of interest, but the Phillies likely view him as the third baseman of the future if Franco can’t produce.
Would former top prospect J.P Crawford be of any worth to the Angels? Never mind that he’s struggled in the big leagues, but with Simmons and Cozart already in place the Angels don’t need another shortstop with a great glove.
I also think any veteran aside from Hoskins and Nola would be on the table, so Franco, Herrera, Carlos Santana, and Cesar Hernandez are all potential pieces.
Los Angeles could use a first baseman with Albert Pujols continuing to decline, but Santana doesn’t seem like the kind of player the Angels would add. After going all-in with veteran players like Pujols, Jered Weaver, and C.J. Wilson they’ve changed their philosophy, instead adding younger stars like Zack Cozart, Andrelton Simmons, and Shohei Ohtani.
So with that being said, what would a potential trade package look like for one of the greatest players of all-time?
If we’re going by the model laid out in the Rosenthal article, the Phillies would give up a veteran bat, a young pitcher, and four of their top-10 prospect.
That’s a hefty package involving two former first round picks, a third baseman who can hit 25-30 home runs, a live arm with major league experience, and two very good pitching prospects.
Franco, Velasquez, and Irvin would immediately fill roles on the Angels major league roster, and Medina, Haseley, and Moniak could be top-five prospects in the organization, if not their top-three.
I think the Phillies would cringe at trading both Moniak and Hasely given the status of their outfield prospects. However, an outfield of Hoskins, Trout, and Herrera is not shabby whatsoever.
Arquimedes Gamoba is more than a flashy name for the organization to take on. He’s a highly-productive fielder with speed and a developing bat that’ll walk. Signed out of Venezuela as one of the 15th best international prospect, per MLB Pipeline, Gamoba is in Clearwater hitting .214 with 53 walks. He’s still a ways away, but the Angels need depth and he provides that at the top of their prospect sheet.
I still think Los Angeles backs off on this trade and would want more upside considering we know what Franco is at this point. It’s an enticing offer I think both sides would think long and hard about, but it’s not a stone cold lock for Los Angeles to take.
Let’s try one with Nick Pivetta, a player the organization reportedly wouldn’t move for Machado, going to the west coast for Trout.
We’re stacking up the Angels return just a bit here by adding Alfaro and swapping out some of the other top prospects.
Hernandez makes sense for the Angeles just as much as Franco given their age, controllability, and impressive hot streaks at the plate. The second baseman Hernandez knows how to get on base and he’s still young enough at 28 for the Angels to build with.
Pivetta has really impressive stuff, and his strikeout numbers this year are historic. Currently his season rate of 10.676 strikeouts per nine innings is second in team history behind Curt Schilling’s 1997 campaign when he averaged 11.288 per nine and finished fourth in the Cy Young.
Alfaro fills the Angels major hole at catcher, and we covered what moving him would mean for Philadelphia. It likely means the return of Wilson Ramos and Knapp being behind the plate as the backup. Again, would the organization move a catcher with few good young catchers not just in the organization, but in baseball? Unless they pry J.T. Realumto from the Marlins, which would take another hefty haul, there aren’t many to pick from.
De Los Santos got a taste of the big leagues this year after a tremendous first season in the organization following the Freddy Galvis trade with San Diego. The righty has a 2.63 ERA in 22 Triple-A starts this year and he showed flashes in two major league starts.
Maton has played most of this season at shortstop for the BlueClaws while hitting 26 doubles, five triples, and eight home runs. Drafted in the seventh round in 2017 he’s just 21-years-old and could be in Double-A for LA next year.
Our third offer includes multiple major league players, but this time they’re both bats going to the Angels.
Our good old friend “cash considerations” goes along with Carlos Santana as the Angels solidify first base for the next two years. Paying off some of Santana’s contract won’t hurt the Phillies and it gives the Angels an opportunity to have Pujols be the DH while Ohtani recovers from Tommy John surgery.
Sanchez, Franco, Haseley, and Irvin reappear in the deal as either major-league ready players or top-100 prospects in baseball. Again, it hurts to lose Sanchez and Haseley in one deal, but I think Trout is the only player the organization would move both for.
JoJo Romero, the organization’s top southpaw pitching prospect, makes his first appearance in our trade proposals. Currently on the disabled list with Double-A Reading, Romero has a 3.80 ERA for the Fightin’s this year and is just 21-years-old.
Dylan Cozens is an interesting name in the organization after setting home run records in the minor leagues. With consistent playing time for the IronPigs he hit 21 home runs this year, but the 40 he hit for Reading in 2016 were legendary.
Cozens could get everyday playing time for the Angels as a corner outfielder and hopefully provide them some pop lost by Trout.
This might be the heftiest package of all because it involves the Phillies top two pitching prospects and several major league ready players.
Would the Phillies bite on trading their top two pitching prospects in one deal? Hard to say, but given the type of player they’re getting back it’s possible.
Losing Herrera, Franco, and Velasquez clears the Phillies of three of their largest headaches and potentially three of their highest-upside players beyond Hoskins and Nola. Each has tremendous upside that’s been bogged down by something the organization can’t tap.
Suarez, like De Los Santos, got a taste of the big leagues this year with two starts after dominating in the minors. Twenty-three years old, he hasn’t had great success in the majors allowing eight earned runs in nine innings against the Reds and Mets. Major league careers aren’t defined by your first two games, so I don’t think the numbers would scare a team off Suarez.
We’ve mentioned Moniak, the number one overall pick in 2016, several times in a potential trade. After hitting .236 last year with Lakewood and struggling early this year in Clearwater he took a major step forward in recent months hitting .311 in August. He turned 20-years-old this year and is still growing into what many saw as a Christian Yelich clone.
An ideal Phillies outfield in 2021 would include Moniak and Haseley, two first round picks drafted at very different stages of their careers. Moniak being a high school senior and Haseley playing in the College World Series, they’re both top-10 prospects in the organization with incredible upside as hitters.
This deal involves six of the Phillies top-12 prospects and a major league player.
All the names mentioned are familiar in this article with the exception of Brito, the organization’s 12th ranked prospect. Signed out of Venezuela in 2014, Brito is just 20-years-old and was moved up to Clearwater during the season. After hitting .252 in 92 games with Lakewood he was promoted to Clearwater where he continues to hit in the .250s with plenty of speed and defense.
Philadelphia Phillies
Ortiz is an athletic corner outfielder with some of the best raw power in the minor leagues. He hit 13 home runs for Single-A Lakewood this year, but his batting average dropped off into the .220s after hitting over .300 last year. He’s just 19-years-old and doesn’t turn 20 until November 2018, giving himself more room to grow.
Brito might be a utility glove with an average bat in the future, but he’s a prospect the Angels could see in the big leagues in just a couple of years.
Moving Sanchez and Haseley, two of the top four prospects, hurst but again, the return is there at the major league level. Ortiz is a young developing bat for the Angels organization that will boost their farm system ranking. De Los Santos could step into the major league rotation on day one, and Herrera starts in center field in place of Trout. It’s a drop off, but Herrera has shown he has a batting title in him. It just takes the right people to pull it out of him.
Giving up three of the young pitchers in your minor league system hurts, but again, it’s Trout we’re talking about.
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Ultimately I don’t think any of these deals in their current form gets Mike Trout into a Phillies uniform, but they move the needle in the right direction for both sides. The first deal feels like the most likely offer, in my opinion, but it’s tough to ask an organization like the Phillies to move so many prospects for one player after years of scouting and developing.
It’s in the Angels best interest to move Trout at some point, and given his ties to the Philadelphia area we can only hope this is where Trout ultimately lands.