For over a decade, the Los Angeles Angels have tried to surround Mike Trout with teammates who can finally get him to the World Series. Shohei Ohtani was once one of those teammates.
Trout was drafted by the Angels in 2009 and touted as an exciting five-tool athlete. He debuted for the Angels in 2011. Trout has hit .299/.410/.581 for his career with an OPS of 991. He has 378 home runs, 212 stolen bases, and 954 RBIs. He's an 11-time All-Star, AL Rookie of the Year in 2012, a nine-time Silver Slugger winner and winner of the AL MVP in 2014, 2016 and 2019.
The Angels made the postseason in 2014, losing the American League Division Series to the Kansas City Royals.
Ohtani debuted with the Angels in 2018 as the most exciting two-way player to enter the game. Since 2018, Trout hasn't had a complete season with the Angels failing to the injured list. Trout only played in 29 games in 2024 because of a torn meniscus that required two surgeries.
After signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason, Ohtani will play in his first World Series. Meanwhile, Trout will have to wait another year.
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The Angels believed they had a large window of time to help the club by surrounding Trout with talent. They signed Albert Pujols in late 2011 to a massive 10-year contract worth $240 million. Pujols was never the player for the Angels that he was with the St. Louis Cardinals for ten years.
Justin Upton was signed to a five-year deal worth $106 million in 2017, and Anthony Rendon was signed in 2019 to a seven-year deal worth $219 million. Josh Hamilton was signed in 2012 to a five-year contract worth $125 million.
All of these moves proved futile for the Angels. However, the organization found hope when they signed Ohtani, an international phenom who could help at the plate and on the mound. Ohtani was AL Rookie of the Year in 2018. He was the AL MVP in 2021 and 2023. He was an All-Star from 2021-23 with the Angels.
Together, Trout and Ohtani never made the postseason. The 2023 season was their last together. Trout only played in 82 games, while Ohtani played in 135 and took home his second AL MVP.
Ohtani has had an epic first postseason run with the Dodgers. In the NLDS and NLCS, he's combined to hit .286/.434/.500 with an OPS of .934. He has three home runs, 11 walks, and 10 RBIs over the two series. He is making enormous contributions to a team loaded with talent - including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and more.
Trout is in the middle of a 12-year contract worth $426.5 million that expires in 2030. Ohtani is finishing up his first-season of a ten-year contract worth $282.17 million, that expires in 2033.
The Dodgers seem to have found the right mix of talent to go with Ohtani to make a significant playoff run. The Angels never found the right combination to complement Trout. Given his tremendous talent, what the Angels did for him was a complete disservice. That is a tragedy.
