Only a select group of teams would even consider absorbing Mike Trout’s contract.

The Los Angeles Angels moving on from Mike Trout this offseason feels extremely unlikely unless Trout demands a trade. That’s the way it should be. A Trout trade is simply too complicated, even if it sounds compelling to start completely over.

Forget the fact that the Angels would want actual value back in return for Trout who, despite his inability to stay healthy and slight decline in production this season, is still one of the best players in baseball.

Dumping the seven years Trout has remaining on his deal at $35.45 million annually is the hardest part. The Angels won’t want to be paying Trout to play against them, so that knocks out most of the teams in the league instantly. This group of teams could use another outfielder and have the money on the books to spend.

1) The Philadelphia Phillies should be willing to absorb Mike Trout’s contract

The Phillies are the team Trout would presumably want to go to, and they’re in a position where they seem to always spend a ton of money. Despite making it all the way to the World Series last season, the Phillies were still among the biggest spenders of the offseason, inking the likes of Trea Turner, Taijuan Walker, and Craig Kimbrel to free agent contracts.

The Phillies don’t have a desperate need for a player like Trout with how deep their lineup is, but it’s not like they had to sign Trea Turner either. Assuming nobody on their MLB team goes to the Angels in return, the Phillies will have the chance to run with an outfield of Brandon Marsh, Mike Trout, and Nick Castellanos with rookie standout Johan Rojas as the team’s fourth outfielder. That’d be hard to top.

Bryce Harper has settled in nicely at first base, and Kyle Schwarber should be the DH at all times. The Phillies can absolutely squeeze Trout in, and if the future Hall of Famer wants to go there, it’d be hard to imagine John Middleton turning him down when he’s been so aggressive financially.

2) The New York Yankees should be willing to absorb Mike Trout’s contract

The New York Yankees haven’t been the spenders they used to be, but they made a big splash with the Carlos Rodon signing last season and might have the motivation to spend this offseason with them missing the playoffs for the first time in a long time.

The Yankees outfield has been a weakness for them all season long. Aaron Judge is pencilled in as their right fielder, but especially with Jasson Dominguez missing part of next season, there isn’t much to look at in the other spots. Estevan Florial? Everson Pereira? Oswaldo Cabrera? These are all young players with potential who haven’t proven a thing.

The Yankees have the need for offense, particularly in their outfield, and will have the money to spend as well. The contracts they have for players like Giancarlo Stanton, Rodon, and D.J. LeMahieu are not good at all, but there’s some flexibility with a ton of money coming off their books.

New York no longer has to pay the likes of Josh Donaldson, Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, opening up a ton of wiggle room to squeeze in the Trout contract.

Whether Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman will allow the Yankees to spend that money on one player or trade the necessary pieces to make a deal work remains to be seen, but it’d make a lot of sense if a deal did go down.

3) The San Francisco Giants should be willing to absorb Mike Trout’s contract

The San Francisco Giants went star-hunting last offseason and failed miserably. They thought they had Aaron Judge until they didn’t. They thought they had Carlos Correa until that deal fell through. This offseason they’ll presumably be all in on Shohei Ohtani, but if that fails, Mike Trout certainly wouldn’t be a bad backup plan.

The Giants were willing to give Carlos Correa, a player who might’ve been younger than Trout but was certainly not better, a 13-year deal worth $350 million. Taking on Trout for half the years and around $100 million cheaper feels like a no-brainer even with Trout’s red flags, right? I mean, this is Mike Trout we’re talking about here.

The Giants need a middle of the order bat desperately with guys like Joc Pederson and Michael Conforto simply not getting the job done. Trout surrounded by all of their powerful platoon bats is a whole lot scarier for opponents which is why the Giants were after guys like Judge and Correa.

The Giants seem to have more money than just about anyone available to spend this offseason, and they have a front office extremely hungry to land a star. I wouldn’t expect Trout to be their primary target, but if they strike out in free agency again, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them inquire.

4) The Los Angeles Dodgers should be willing to absorb Mike Trout’s contract

The Dodgers are another team that seems fixated on landing Shohei Ohtani this offseason. They didn’t spend much this past offseason as they looked to keep their money open for Shohei to take, and they’ll look to cash in. The Dodgers have been considered the favorites for Shohei, but what if Ohtani picks another destination? Mike Trout becomes a whole lot more appealing.

I will say right off the bat that a Trout trade to the Dodgers would be extremely unlikely. We already know the Angels were unwilling to send Ohtani there in a trade, and the chances Arte Moreno sends his franchise player to the crosstown rivals are very slim. However, if the Dodgers are interested and Trout wants them, the Angels would be foolish to not listen.

The Dodgers have a ton of money to spend, and have both David Peralta and Jason Heyward set to hit free agency this offseason.

The money is there, the Dodgers have one of the more loaded prospect pools in the game, and they have not one, but two openings in their outfield. The Dodgers are a team Trout would presumably have some interest in, and there’s no reason for the Dodgers to not want Trout if they strike out in free agency. The fit feels very real.

Again, it’s extremely unlikely the Angels ever consider sending him there, but the Dodgers should absolutely be willing to absorb the contract.

5) The Boston Red Sox should be willing to absorb Mike Trout’s contract

The only reason the Red Sox fired GM Chaim Bloom has to be because they’re tired of finishing at or towards the bottom of the AL East. They finished in last in the division in two of the three full seasons Bloom had in Boston, and could finish in last once again.

Bloom did a great job building up Boston’s minor league system, and with them already in postseason contention most of this season, they could be ready to try and go all in and win in 2024. Boston hasn’t been spending money like they’ve been known to in recent years, but that can and should change this offseason with a new GM in charge.

The Red Sox do have a solid outfield consisting of Masataka Yoshida, Jaren Duran, and Alex Verdugo right now, but Yoshida is better as a DH than an outfielder, and Verdugo has one more year of control left. Duran is the only outfielder really pencilled in long-term right now, and he can play all three positions.

The Red Sox won’t be getting as much money off their books as the Yankees this offseason, but their money owed to Corey Kluber, Adam Duvall, James Paxton, and potentially Justin Turner will all be off the books for next season. They’ll also be starting at a much lower number than the Yankees, and will not want to watch their chief rival acquire a player like Trout.

Whether Trout would accept a trade to Boston remains to be seen, but the Red Sox should be willing to absorb the contract if a trade were to go down.

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