The Pitcher Just Hits Home Runs Well [EN]: Chapter 336

336. The Best Hitter in the Big Leagues (3)

‘The Angels are wasting Trout’s prime.’

Anyone who watched Major League Baseball in the 2010s would likely agree with this statement. Of course, from the LA Angels’ perspective, it’s understandable that they’d feel that’s unfair. It’s not as if they didn’t spend money at all.

Gary Matthews Jr. (5 years, $50 million)

Albert Pujols (10 years, $240 million)

Josh Hamilton (5 years, $125 million)

Justin Upton (5 years, $106 million)

Anthony Rendon (7 years, $245 million)

From Gary Matthews starting in 2007 to Anthony Rendon in 2020, that’s a whopping $766.6 million committed to just five free agents.

The total WAR [Wins Above Replacement, a comprehensive baseball statistic] they accumulated with the Angels was only 13.7. It was truly the epitome of high cost and low efficiency.

And that’s not all.

In the winter of 2023, Cody Bellinger, whom they signed for 7 years and $210 million in a fit of pique after losing Ohtani, ‘Angels-ed’ again – meaning the signing didn’t pan out as hoped.

That’s about $1 billion on big free agents over 20 years. Considering they pay Trout $426.5 million, they spend an average of $80 million annually on big free agents. That means they were paying more than the total payroll of a decent small market team to just two or three big free agents each year.

Therefore, the Angels’ new owner, Hoyt Van Jeranson, did not agree with the statement that the Angels were wasting Mike Trout’s prime. Instead, he had a different perspective.

‘LA Angels must now put down the burden that they cannot handle, Mike Trout.’

Since taking over as the owner of the LA Angels in 2026, Hoyt Van Jeranson had repeatedly stated publicly that Mike Trout was a burden the Angels could not handle. Of course, the Angels fans’ reaction was not good. Although he was already in his mid-30s and his prime was slowly passing, Trout had been, in the eyes of Angels fans, the embodiment of the team itself for the past 15 years.

So far, only one player has entered Cooperstown [Baseball Hall of Fame] wearing an LA Angels hat: Vladimir Guerrero. However, Vladimir Guerrero played only 6 years out of his 16-year career with the Angels, and the reason he chose the Angels hat was that the Montreal Expos, where Guerrero debuted and spent his most brilliant years, moved its home to Washington at the end of 2004, effectively becoming a different team (the Washington Nationals).

To them, Mike Trout was a pure-blooded franchise star born from the Angels, who should wear the Angels uniform until retirement and go straight to the Hall of Fame as the greatest star of all time.

“The Angels have done their best for Mike Trout, the greatest player of this era. But as with most things in the world, sometimes the best effort does not lead to the best result. Yes, that’s right. The Angels have been terribly unlucky for the past 15 years. I do not deny the greatness of Mike Trout as a player. But I always wonder if it is really the right thing for him to continue to be on our team. Sometimes there are relationships where being together is harmful to each other. A team that cannot rest when it needs to rest, and a player who cannot run when he needs to run. The Angels need rehabilitation. And that is not something that can be done within 2 or 3 years. The farm system [minor league system for developing players] has been devastated, and the club’s finances are a mess. I think the Angels should make a ‘great decision’ even now.”

Hoyt Van Jeranson made more pleasant remarks, but not many people were persuaded by them. In fact, Hoyt Van Jeranson did not expect anyone to be swayed by his words. That was just a justification.

So, the reason why he hadn’t gotten rid of Mike Trout by this point, even though he took office as the owner in 2026, was simply because Mike Trout was not an attractive asset in the market.

Why wasn’t the greatest hitter of this era an attractive asset?

Of course, a healthy Mike Trout still had All-Star-level skills. However, as of 2026, he was already 35 years old, and he had an average annual contract of 37.12mil remaining until 2030. Moreover, since 2019, Mike Trout had only played a full season healthy once in the past 7 years.

A team that can use a glass-bodied [injury-prone] outfielder entering his 36th year for an average of 37.12mil for the next 4 years? It’s not easy. Moreover, the Angels wanted a core-level prospect set that matched the name of Mike Trout. No matter how strong the owner’s will was, they needed a good reason to give up the foundation of the team.

Above all, Mike Trout had the right to refuse a trade under the 10/5 rule [a player with 10 years in the major leagues and 5 years with the same team has the right to veto any trade]. Attempts to pass him off to mediocre teams would not work. Thanks to this, the Angels could not sell Trout until 2028, even though they had every intention of selling him since 2026.

And this year.

Mike Trout, 37, was putting on a great performance for the first time in a while. It wasn’t the same as his prime, but he once again showed that a Trout who wasn’t hurt was an All-Star-level player.

***

[Yankees-Cardinals-Angels Mega Deal Completed!!]

[D-2 until the Trade Deadline. Shocking Triangular Trade!!]

[Who is the Winner of the Trade? Mike Trout Finally Moves!!]

The Yankees succeeded in strengthening their center line of center fielder and second baseman, which were their weak links. Instead, they gave up two prospects ranked in the BA Top 100 [Baseball America’s list of top 100 prospects], a 24-year-old ready-made designated hitter who is dominating the AAA league [Triple-A, the highest level of minor league baseball], and Troy Johnson, the current starting second baseman with two years of service time remaining, to the Cardinals. It was truly like giving up the entire future of the team.

“Hoo… Was it really the right choice?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know. You were entirely in charge of this trade.”

Brian Cashman replied, teasing his deputy, Josh Harold.

Josh Harold scratched his head vigorously.

“It’s definitely correct according to the data. Mike Trout’s defense is underestimated. Of course, there are some problems, but after consulting with the coaches, they said that Trout could easily fix those issues.”

“Then there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Besides, Upton’s defense is so bad that it’s hard to use him as a first baseman. For the next 5 years, we have Suwon in the designated hitter position, so he’s really a burden.”

“So, there really shouldn’t be any problems.”

“No, don’t act so detached. We’re spending over $100 million over the next 3 years.”

Brian Cashman laughed.

“Look, Josh. I guarantee you, you’re much more capable than I was when I first became general manager.”

“But!!”

Who was Brian Cashman?

He started his career as a general manager under George Steinbrenner, who replaced general managers most frequently in Major League Baseball, and is now the man who has been the general manager of one team for the longest time. Perhaps he will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

And Josh Harold was the successor to such a person. It was naturally a position full of pressure.

“You already know. If this goes well, it’s your achievement. If it goes wrong, it will be my last mistake.”

“But!!”

“It’s a bonus for 10 years of hard work.”

“No, I appreciate that, but… While you’re giving me a bonus, it would be better if you cooperated more actively.”

He must be anxious.

He must be very anxious, even though he made the best decision after examining the data, constantly calculating the number of cases, and discussing with the staff all night.

The player he thought was the best choice could be caught up in a drug scandal, or he could hurt his hand opening a bottle cap one day and go on the 3-month IL [Injured List] at a crucial moment. He could sell everything to tank [intentionally lose games to get a better draft pick], but then a Cy Young winner [award for best pitcher] could suddenly appear, and the team could fail because the power wasn’t concentrated. He could sell the future of the team and gather players to form a universe defense force, but then the team could become a hospital ward and ruin the season. No one can know the future.

But that’s what a general manager is.

A position where you stand at the highest point, clear your throat, and work people to death, but in the end, you have to bear the results of all those things.

Brian Cashman looked at Josh Harold, who was scratching his head, with warm eyes.

This guy is not far off now.

“Let’s watch slowly. Oh, and.”

“And?”

“There are still two days left until the trade deadline. What are you doing? You have to move quickly.”

***

Mike Trout and Dennis Martinez.

The two players who joined our team through this trade adapted to the team very quickly. That’s because Mike Trout was a player with the best career in the league, and Dennis Martinez was also a veteran player who signed a 5-year, $120 million contract two years ago.

Jake, who was originally the starting center fielder, naturally became a backup, and Mark, who was originally performing a utility role as a defensive specialist, was sent back to the minors. Oh, Troy, who was playing second base, moved to the Cardinals through this trade, but he was traded back to Cincinnati before he even unpacked his luggage in the locker room. Well, he still has 2 years of service time left and he was a pretty good infielder, so we can only pray that things work out a little better for him there.

The trade wasn’t the end of it.

The pitching staff also underwent considerable changes. Some minor reinforcements in the bullpen were within the expected range, but there was one reinforcement that far exceeded that.

Stan Owens.

Yes, the ace-level pitcher that Washington signed for a whopping 6 years and $170 million last winter joined our team. The combined value of those three players was close to an average of $90 million per year, which was an absurd shopping spree. Of course, we received some salary assistance here and there, but even so, it was an average of 82 million. This season, the Yankees’ total payroll was about $260 million, so the total amount was a whopping $340 million. It was slightly short of the Mets’ $370 million, which boasted a crazy payroll, but it easily exceeded the luxury tax cut line of $262 million, completely disrupting the Yankees’ plan to reset the luxury tax this year.

According to the media, the luxury tax that our Yankees are expected to pay is a whopping $86 million. No matter how much of a mega-market the Yankees are, it’s an excessive amount. It was like calmly committing a crazy act of throwing away an amount that could easily sign three big free agents.

Therefore, what this trade meant was very clear.

─The goal is to win. Only win.

─Winning is the next most important thing to breathing. So if you breathed, win. Big Boss’s last general manager, Brian Cashman. His last dance.

─It’s a complete disaster. An outdated general manager’s senile nonsense.

─The Angels wasted Trout’s prime by bringing in Pujols. The Yankees will waste Choi Su-won’s prime by bringing in Trout. The only good thing here is that Pujols’ contract was 10 years, but Trout’s remaining contract is only 3 years.

Of course, the New York media was like a fish in water, constantly talking about this trade. And in such a commotion, all we could do was continue the game without being shaken by the external atmosphere as much as possible, but that wasn’t too difficult since it was a basic skill that anyone playing in New York should have.

-Knock knock

“Manager, you called?”

“Ah, Suwon. I’m just letting you know in advance that the starting routine will be changed a bit.”

“Starting routine?”

August, with the hot sun shining down.

The teams that gave up on the season gave up, and the teams that tightened the reins for the championship tightened the reins.

The league’s final spurt has begun.