"Mike Trout is Mr. Glass from Unbreakable" - Phillies analysts oppose $37,000,000 AAV superstar as trade option amid Nick Castellanos rumors

On Monday, Philadelphia Phillies analysts Jamie Lynch, Renee Washington and Tyler Zulli discussed whether Mike Trout may be a good fit for the team. After missing most of the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Angels due to injury, there are rumors that they may be looking to cut their losses and offload the injury-prone star.

For the Phillies, who are looking to improve wherever they can after a disappointing exit in the NLDS at the hands of the New York Mets last season, the acquisition of a player like Trout makes sense.

However, as Zulli said on Monday's edition of "MLB Hot Stove", anyone who acquires Trout will need to pay around $37 million a season, and the superstar's recent injury history is too big an issue to overlook before making such an investment.

"He [Mike Trout] hit forty home runs in 119 games [in 2022], with a slugging percentage at 630 and OPS just one point shy of one for an entirety of a season," Zulli said.

"It was an outstanding season, he was electric in those games. But, that's a full season at this point for Mike Trout. I don't know if you're gonna get 119 games from a guy who's gonna make $37 million. In three of the other four seasons surrounding it, he played 155 games total, for an average of 51 or 52 and a half games a season." [30:25]

"Yes, the $37 million would offset for the next two years, but then your still stuck with a $148 million in the final four years of his deal, when he's going to be 36,37,38 and 39 years old," Zulli added.

"Numerically speaking, it's going to hinder you more than it's going to help you in the final four years of his career, specifically considering the fact that the Phillies are going to be an aging team by that point, you're going to have an older Bryce Harper, an older Trea Turner." Zulli added [30:57]

Agreeing with Zulli's analysis, Jamie Lynch likened the injury-prone Mike Trout to a popular fictional character.

"Yeah, Mike Trout is Mr. Glass from Unbreakable." Lynch jokingly said.

The opportunity to potentially bring in Mike Trout comes as veteran outfielder Nick Castellanos is rumored to be on the way out. Having signed a $100 million, five-year contract in 2022, Castellanos' exit, if it were to materialize, would free up a significant amount of funds that the Phillies can look to spend elsewhere.

---

MLB insider assesses Mike Trout's role after Angels' offseason acquisitions

Having missed a huge chunk of the season due to a recurring knee injury, Mike Trout was sorely missed by his team, as they ended up finishing rock bottom of the AL West standings in 2024. The superstar is set to make his much-anticipated return in the 2025 season.

On Monday, insider Russell Dorsey, when talking about the Angels' latest acquisition of free agent Yusei Kikuchi, talked about something that would undoubtedly be on many Angels' fans' minds heading into next season.

"What is Mike Trout going to give you? I think that’s the big question we all want to know. Do you move him to a corner? Do you DH him? Taylor Ward is a guy who has had solid success for them over the last couple of years," Dorsey said [1:06]

"So I like this move for the Angels. Now I’m just looking at how they get that offense going. I know they added Solaire as well as Travis d’Arnaud. So they’ve made some really interesting moves. I’m just curious to see how it all comes together," Dorsey added [1:18]

With preparations for the 2025 season set to ramp up in the new year, fans will hope Trout can come back fully recovered and well-rested.