Why the Phillies Should Trade to Bring Mike Trout Home (And Why They Shouldn't)
By Thomas Erbe
Philadelphia Phillies fans are going into the 2024 season hungrier than ever before. After losing in the World Series in 2022 and falling just short of the fall classic in 2023, everything tastes bitter in the City of Brotherly Love.
The nice thing is Phillies fans know their team is right there and ready to pounce, it's just a matter of time. Going into the offseason, the priority was to re-sign pending free agent Aaron Nola, and they accomplished that quickly. Other than that, there is not a big move they need to make.
Unless...
The Los Angeles Angels cleaned house after another disappointing 2023 season. Shohei Ohtani is all but guaranteed to sign elsewhere and the Angles are left to look ahead to the future. They have yet to be able to construct a winning team around one of the greats in the game, Mike Trout, and there has been a lingering healthy debate as to if he should stay or if they should look to trade him to start fresh. All signs point to Trout staying in Southern California, but what if he didn't?
We all know Trout is from Philadelphia. We've seen him at Eagles and Sixers games and we've heard Bryce Harper pitch him to come join him at the Bank. Trout is a generational talent playing in the late night of west coast games and we all want better for him. Should the Phills be the ones to step up and make a move, or should they keep the course as is?