After visit with interim GM Mozeliak, Trout commends vision for Angels' future

BALTIMORE -- Angels superstar Mike Trout was not among the many players that interim general manager John Mozeliak fielded trade offers for before Monday’s Trade Deadline, as the two met a few weeks ago and it became clear Trout wasn’t going to be moved.

Trout, whose contract pays him $37.1 million annually through 2030, has a no-trade clause and has indicated his desire to remain with the franchise. And he said that the Angels selling at the Trade Deadline hasn’t altered his view on staying with the club long-term.

“Nah, it hasn't changed anything,” Trout said. “But we're not where we want to be. Doing what we did, I think helps our future. And we’ll see where it goes.”

Trout also said he believes that visiting the club’s trade room a few days ahead of the Deadline was overblown, as he was just invited into a conference room by Mozeliak and was told about the vision for the future of the club. He said he’d been in the trade room before under previous GMs, but not Perry Minasian, who was the clubs’ GM from 2021 until being dismissed in late June.

“People were blowing it up,” Trout said. “It wasn't what everybody's saying. Basically, just going over everything. It wasn't like I was telling him, 'Oh, trade this guy, trade that guy.' It was basically just a plan. It was just Mo trying to build a relationship with me in the couple weeks he's been here. Just being transparent. I think that's the biggest thing.”

Mozeliak explained on Monday that he did it just to give Trout a feel for his vision for the organization, because Trout deserves it as the long-time face of the franchise as a three-time AL MVP and 12-time All-Star.

“He truly loves the game of baseball and so he was just curious of what this whole thing looked like,” Mozeliak said. “He's the face of this franchise, and from where I stand, we want to get this better for him and for others because our fans want to see winning, and that's the goal of what we're trying to accomplish.”

Trout said it was tough to see several of his teammates get traded over the last week, including right fielder Jo Adell, right-hander José Soriano, catcher Logan O'Hoppe and relievers Ryan Zeferjahn, Chase Silseth, Kirby Yates and Brent Suter. But he said he understood why the moves were made, as the Angels are trying to build a foundation for long-term success. They haven’t made the postseason since 2014 and haven’t had a winning record since ’15.

"We've got to look at ourselves in the mirror,” Trout said. “We're not where we want to be. I think the best step in the best direction to turn things around is to do what we did. It's tough seeing your teammates go. Built great relationships with all the guys. It’s a family. It's a brotherhood. We see these guys more than our regular family. That's the toughest thing, but we got some great prospects in return.”

Trout said he had heard of several of the prospects the club acquired because of his hobby of collecting cards. They added several promising young players such as shortstop Arjun Nimmala (the club's new No. 2 prospect), right-hander Mason McGwire (No. 15) and catcher Jacob Cozart (No. 19).

They also acquired catcher/designated hitter Moisés Ballesteros, who joined the roster on Tuesday, infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr., outfielder Eddie Micheletti Jr., and right-handers Angel Rivero and Kyle Robinson. Ballesteros, 22, was ranked as a Top 100 prospect each of the last two seasons, while Alvarez, 23, was a highly regarded prospect with the Braves.

“You can see the responses and everybody was excited about the Deadline,” Trout said. “The [media] and the scouts said Mo did a good job. I follow a lot of these prospects, collecting cards, so I know the majority of the prospects that were getting traded. So we got a great boost in the farm system and we’ll see where it goes.”