Mike Trout isn’t entertaining any fresh exit rumors just because the Angels are changing hands.
With Arte Moreno set to sell a controlling interest in the club to Stan Kroenke for a reported $4 billion, Trout made it clear Tuesday that his plan hasn’t shifted. He still wants to finish his career in Anaheim, and he’s not asking for a move.
"Not at all. I got four years left on my deal," Trout said regarding his future with the Angels, according to Jack Janes of the Sporting Tribune.
Moreno, who bought the Angels from Disney in 2003, will reportedly keep a minority stake in the franchise. For Trout, he’s the only owner he’s known across a 16-year career, and he was the one who handed the three-time MVP both of his big extensions, including the then-record 12-year, $426.5-million deal in 2019 that carries a full no-trade clause.
That contract has long kept Trout tied to the Angels, and he has stayed put even as the team has struggled to build around him. Los Angeles hasn’t finished above .500 since 2015, and the playoff appearances have been scarce - just once in Trout’s era, when the Kansas City Royals swept the Angels in the 2014 ALDS and Trout went 1-for-12. This season, the Angels are tied with the A’s for the worst record in the American League.
Still, Trout has never sounded interested in forcing his way out. He dismissed trade talk again back in July, saying that "people doubting us" has fueled his motivation to stay in Anaheim and try to push the franchise back to the postseason.
On Tuesday, Trout was appreciative of Moreno but also candid that the change was overdue.
"I mean, you kind of felt that way - it was needed," Trout said. "No hard feelings to Arte.
But I'm super excited. The guys are excited.
There's a good vibe around the clubhouse, vibe around the stadium."
He also likes what Kroenke brings to the table. The incoming owner has backed championship teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLS, and the English Premier League, and Trout said that record matters.
"I'm excited," Trout said. "The track record, it's there. So, super excited to meet him and talk to him and get to know him a little bit and see where it goes."
And Trout said he believes Kroenke will have the same goal in mind as everyone else in the organization.
"You look at the track record, I know one thing that's gonna be on (Kroenke's) mind is get to the World Series, win a championship. As a player, it makes you feel good to have that and to feel that."
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