How Mike Trout Was 'Left Behind' As Shohei Ohtani Wins Two Rings
Mike Trout has not played in a postseason game since 2014, marking the longest active playoff drought for a player of his caliber as the three-time MVP approaches the final years of his career with the Los Angeles Angels.
The 34-year-old center fielder holds an 87.5 WAR, the highest in modern baseball for a player who has never won a postseason game. Since their 2014 ALDS loss to Kansas City, Trout and the Angels have not returned to the playoffs. The franchise itself has not won a postseason game since 2009, the same year Trout was drafted.
In March 2019, Trout signed a 12-year, $426 million contract extension—the richest in North American sports history at that time. The contract still has about $190 million left and lasts through 2030.
Multiple sources told The Athletic that Trout would never ask for a trade, calling it the easy way out.
Trout said in September,
"I've got (five) more years on the contract. I feel like I've got a lot left in my tank. And I know when it's right, I can be the best."
Former teammate Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023 and has since won World Series titles in each season away from Anaheim. Trout and Ohtani played together for six seasons but appeared in the lineup simultaneously in only 46.6% of Angels games, during which the team held a 194-211 record.
Author's summary: Despite Mike Trout’s immense talent and record contract, the Angels have struggled to reach the postseason, while Shohei Ohtani achieved championship success after leaving the team.