Angels GM says there is ‘no way’ they are going to trade Mike Trout

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Despite rampant discussions in recent weeks among baseball circles, the Los Angeles Angels are not going to trade their young MVP, Mike Trout.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler was a guest on Buster Olney’s “Baseball Tonight” podcast and was asked about the rumors and whether or not he and Trout had discussed them. Eppler was emphatic that Trout is not being moved, noting that his value to the team — which may be the highest in baseball — goes beyond his talents on the field.

“We joked about it … there was a casual exchange we had in the clubhouse,” Eppler told Olney. “It was more done in a joking manner like, ‘Hey, am I going to get moved?’ And I said, ‘Not a chance, brother. You ain’t going anywhere.’ And I feel that way because there is no way we’re going to part ways with Mike. He’s just too much of an impactful player. He means too much to this clubhouse, to this community, to this organization. This guy embodies so much more than what you see when it’s lights, camera, action. He’s the epitome of what good people are and he is blessed obviously with a ton of athletic ability.”

Trout still has four years and $119 million left after this season on his 6-year, $144.5 million contract.

With the Angels off to a slow start and with Trout’s salary set to jump from $15.3 million this year to $33.3 million in the final three years of his deal, speculation arose about whether the smart move might be to move Trout now when his value is at its highest. However, in addition to just being too valuable to let go, questions quickly rose about whether any team could even put together a big enough package to entice the Angels into trading a 24-year-old player who has already finished in the top-2 of MVP voting four times.

For now, at least, the Angels are not interested in trading Trout, and we’ll never know if it was even possible.