If the Angels move Mike Trout, are the Phillies a legit possibility?

The Philadelphia Phillies have returned to prominence in the city and greater Philadelphia area off the strength of the 2022 Cinderella World Series run. With the increased interest in the club, fans have been able to daydream even more about adding big-time players around franchise cornerstone Bryce Harper. It has been a short list of players that the Phillies fanbase would name over the years with one constant. That constant has been the dream of bringing in Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout. 

Trout is Millville, New Jersey’s own, a Philadelphia sports fan, and one of the best players in baseball since he’s been an everyday player in the 2011 season. The local connection has made Trout’s path to the team the lifeline of many people who observe the Phillies. FanSided’s own Robert Murray on his podcast titled, “The Baseball Insiders”, gauged the trade interest of Trout after the initial report of a possible trade involving Trout was reported and received feedback that the move was “highly unlikely” to “unlikely”. Murray mentioned that the Phillies were “an obvious fit” but the team’s flexibility after adding a salary like Trout’s would be in question. 

To clarify, the beat on the Trout trade ticker situation is that he will likely remain an Angel by next season. The Phillies are sitting in a favorable position in the National League Wild Card race. They currently hold the first Wild Card spot and their two top-of-the-order hitters Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner are producing runs in September so far. Schwarber and Turner have combined to score 20 runs, 11 home runs, and 19 runs batted in. Now it would be an incredibly fun time if the Phillies could just pencil Mike Trout in that lineup. Talk about having some good problems if your manager Rob Thomson. Oh, try to decide the best lineup between these All-World talents at the plate. That sounds like about one of the hardest thoughts he may have to consistently wrestle with as a manager of that much talent. 

Mets owner Steve Cohen hasn’t been afraid to shell out absurd money for premiere talent. Neither have organizations like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers, and San Diego Padres. Keep this dream in the chamber Phillies fans, who knows what the winter could bring? In the meantime, envision the upcoming playoff atmosphere at ‘The Bank’ and how welcoming it'll be to Mike Trout and any other superstar talent.