Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Mike Trout sends strong message after trade speculation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jake Elman | Last updated Apr 5, 2025 1:21 PM ET

Two things are guaranteed when Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout is healthy: home runs and trade speculation.

Trout took care of the former this week, mashing his first homer in nearly a year during Wednesday’s 12-5 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Outside of avoiding injury on the six-game road trip, the solo homer marked Trout’s only true highlight; the three-time AL MVP enters Friday’s home opener hitting .143 with five RBI and a .564 OPS.

As for the trade speculation, what would be a baseball season without people wondering if the Angels will eventually deal Trout?

On Tuesday, Trout sparked trade speculation after he praised playing in St. Louis. He even admitted he circled the game on his calendar. Trout referenced Cardinals legend and longtime Angels teammate Albert Pujols, who constantly raved about Busch Stadium and St. Louis as a whole.

Mike Trout on St. Louis: "I love coming here. I love playing here. Obviously when Albert was here, he talked up so much about it. ... When I saw the schedule come out and saw that St. Louis was on the schedule, I circled it. I always love coming here." #Angels #STLCards pic.twitter.com/aHS1UyqxGG
— Joey Schneider (@joeyschneider95) April 1, 2025

Although the baseball world seems highly interested in Trout’s future, the future Hall of Famer is focused on the here and now.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mike Trout (@miketrout)

“Great stretch on the road, see you in Anaheim,” Trout wrote on Instagram.

The Angels won four of six against the Cardinals and the Chicago White Sox. Trout and teammates entered Friday only half a game behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West.

Yes, we’re only a week into the season. Yes, the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners will likely turn things around before April ends.

The Angels are also fresh off a club-record 99 losses, so you take the positives where you can get them.

It’ll likely be some time before we see any potential Trout trade. Not only does he have six seasons remaining on a 12-year, $462.5 million extension he signed in 2019, but Trout’s contract contains a full no-trade clause.

There haven’t been any credible reports about a Trout trade, even after injuries limited him to 111 games over the last two seasons. Whether or not the Angels would have dealt a healthy Trout is another conversation entirely.

For now, though, Trout is healthy and ready to crush homers at Angel Stadium. Let’s see if the Angels maintain their 4-2 start and, against all odds, somehow get Trout his first playoff plate appearance in over a decade.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: