How The Los Angeles Angels Failed Mike Trout (2012-2025)

How The Los Angeles Angels Failed Mike Trout (2012-2025)

I think the easy way out is just ask for a trade. You know, when I signed that contract, I I’m loyal. You know, I want to win a championship here. Like, you’re going to look back on his career and think, well, that as of right now, the guy never won. This is the story of how the Los Angeles Angels have redefined failure and how they took not one but two generational talents, players that come around maybe once in a lifetime, and somehow managed to waste both of their primes. It’s a tale of terrible contracts, organizational dysfunction, and an owner who might just be the worst decision maker in professional sports. But before we get into the video today, guys, again, we’re on the road to 50,000 subscribers. Thank you for all your support. We’re giving away a jersey to a lucky subscriber who has those notifications turned on and is subscribed to the channel. So, if you haven’t already done that, please do that now. With that being said, this upload’s winner is at Darth Martinez. Appreciate all your support on the channel, bro. Reach out to me. I’ll get you that jersey. Now, before Mike Trout became a household name, the Angels thought they had it all figured out in December 2011. They signed Albert Puhol to a 10-year, $254 million contract, making him the highest paid player in baseball history at the time. This was supposed to be the move that put them over the top. Instead, it became the anchor that dragged them to the bottom of the ocean. Puhol was already 31 when he signed, and critics immediately called it a terrible move. That would be a quote 10-year disaster, and they were right. Puhol went from a 326 career hitter with the Cardinals to hitting .256 over his next 10 years with the Angels. But 2016, he was being called a cautionary tale against big contracts. An overpaid designated hitter in the middle of a lineup for a going nowhere Los Angeles Angels team. Albert from a baseball perspective is below major league average now. He is. But it gets worse because the Angels doubled down. In 2013, they signed Josh Hamilton to a 5-year $125 million contract. Now, Hamilton was coming off of an MVP caliber season with Texas, but the Angels gambled on a player with a wellocumented history of drug and alcohol problems. And unfortunately, they lost that bet spectacularly. Hamilton hit just 255 with the Angels, dealt with injuries, and then suffered a drug and alcohol relapse in 2015. The Angels were so desperate to get rid of him that they traded him back to Texas while still paying most of his salary. Stephen A, take away the drugs, take away the alcohol. I think Josh Hamilton could have been the greatest player ever. And if you’re interested more in the Josh Hamilton story, and it is a crazy one. We made an entire video on that as well. I’ll put that in the end screen here so you guys can see that later. Now, picture this. You’re Mike Trout. This young superstar putting up historic numbers and your organization just committed over $375 million to two players who immediately became shadows of their former selves. Imagine how he felt watching the Angels spend a fortune on players who couldn’t perform. Meanwhile, the farm system was barren. The Angels have been consistently ranked as having one of the worst farm systems in baseball. They couldn’t develop talent internally and their big money signings were disasters. It was an organizational failure at every level. And the 2014 season honestly perfectly sums up this dysfunction. In 2014, Trout put up an incredible year, slashing .287, 377, 561 with 36 home runs and 111 RBI’s. And the Angels won 98 games and won the AL West for the first and only time in the Mike Trout era. They faced the Kansas City Royals in the division series and got swept in three games. Trout went 1 for12 in that series, unfortunately. Now, that right there was Trout’s first and only taste of October baseball, and it lasted exactly three games. Now, let’s talk about the man responsible for this disaster, Art Moreno. Since buying the team in 2003 for $184 million, Moreno has turned the Angels from World Series champions into the poster child for organizational incompetence. Mareno is a meddling owner who makes decisions based on emotions rather than logic. MLB insiders have reported that Mareno changes his mind daily and runs the organization based on vibes. Case in point, the 2023 trade deadline. The Angels were 56 and 51 and were just three games back from the final AL wild card slot. They still had a small outside shot at the playoffs, but any rational organization would have traded Shoi Otani, who was set to become a free agent that off season, but because he had made it abundantly clear he wasn’t interested in ressigning with the Angels. Instead, Brano refused to trade Otani because he wanted to see if they could make the playoffs. What happened? Well, the Angels lost seven straight games immediately after the deadline and finished 73 and 89. They watched Otani sign with the Dodgers for nothing in return. Reports later revealed that the Angels could have gotten a package from San Diego similar to what the Nationals received for Wanoto, potentially including future stars like McKenzie Gore, CJ Abrams, James Wood, and maybe even Jackson Merrill. But here’s the kicker. Moreno admitted he never intended to resign Otani anyway because he was unwilling to meet his asking price. So, he kept a player he knew he was going to lose, watched him walk away for nothing, and got zero in return for generational talent. Could you imagine how this last part of Mike Trout’s career would have panned out if he had the young talent in Washington around him instead? A heart of the order consisting of James Wood, Mike Trout, CJ Abrams, Jackson Merrill, and Zack Neto would be insane. And this is the same owner who refuses to trade with the Dodgers out of spite, even when it would benefit his team. The same owner who has overseen the longest active playoff drought in Mo despite having Mike Trout for over a decade. Arty Moreno controls the entire organization. Every decision made by Arty Moreno. You cannot go to the bathroom without dialing 1800 RD Mareno. Jeff Joiner summed it up perfectly. Quote, “Arts angels have redefined organizational failure. From World Series champs to utter failures with billions of dollars spent on payroll and the greatest player on the planet, gifted to you not once but twice, is a level of failure unmatched in my lifetime and possibly ever.” And while Moreno was burning money on terrible free agency signings, the Angels player development system was also falling apart. Every major publication ranks the Angels farm system among the worst in baseball. Baseball America, The Athletic, and ESPN have all ranked them dead last or close to it. Keith Law of the Athletic has called it the worst farm system he’s ever seen, saying, “The impetus in Anaheim is to win now.” And that means that the folks in player development have the impossible task of trying to develop players faster. So, they either help the big league club directly or become valuable in trades. This is what they do. They rush prospects to the majors before they’re ready. They don’t invest in international signings as much as other teams do, and they consistently whiff on draft picks. This creates a vicious cycle which they can’t escape. They can’t develop talent internally, so they have to overpay for veterans in free agency. When those veterans inevitably decline, they then don’t have the prospects to trade for impact players. So, they get stuck in mediocrity, wasting Trout’s prime years, while betterun organizations build sustainable winners. Now, compare this with the Dodgers, who have one of the best farm systems in baseball and can complement that young talent by signing proven veterans. Or the Rays, who turn unknown prospects into allstars. The Angels, they haven’t developed a significant major league contributor through their system in years. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, no one cares about you. Now, you could argue Zachetto, but he was as close to a finished product as anybody else coming out of the draft. And just when you thought the Angels couldn’t possibly make another catastrophic signing, they outdid themselves. In December 2019, they signed Anthony Randon to a 7-year $245 million contract. Randon was coming off an incredible 2019 season where he hit 319 with 34 home runs and helped the Nationals win the World Series. On paper, it looked like exactly what the Angels needed, a star third baseman to compliment Trout and the newly arrived Otani. Instead, it became the worst contract ever given to an MLB player, probably ever. Rendon has played in just 205 games over the last five seasons, dealing with constant injuries and posting a pathetic 666 OPS when he does play. He’s managed just 13 home runs in that span. For context, from 2014 to 2017, starting pitcher, again, starting pitcher Madison Bumgardner had a higher OPS and more home runs than Randon in nearly a 100 less games played. Basically, what I’m saying is is that Madison Bumgardner is a better hitter than the Angels version of Anthony Randon. He also played the same amount of games as Anthony Rendone in 2025, as Rendone missed the entire season with a hip injury. The worst part is that reports suggest that Randon simply doesn’t love baseball anymore, making it nearly impossible for him to play through the nagging injuries that come with being in your 30s. Is it still a top priority for you? It’s never been a top priority for me. This is a job. So, I do this to make a living. The Angels are paying him $38.5 million per year through 2026 for a player who can’t stay on the field and doesn’t seem to care when he is. The Angels are literally paying $38 million for nothing. For reference, Renone is the eighth highest earner in all of Major League Baseball if you include total earnings. What did you say? Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did. Now, despite all the organizational dysfunction, there were moments when it looked like the Angels might actually figure it out. The arrival of Shoi Otani in 2018 was supposed to change everything. here was a player who could hit 40 home runs and be a frontline starting pitcher. Combined with Trout, they had the most dynamic duo in baseball history. So, what happened? Well, to me, the 2021 season perfectly speaks to their failure. Otani had one of the greatest individual seasons in baseball history, hitting 46 home runs while also going 9 and2 on the mound with a 3.18 erra. And yet, the Angels still finished 77 and 85, 18 games out of first place. How is that even possible? Yeah, Mike Trout was injured and played less than 40 games that season, but how do you have the American League MVP and still lose 85 games? The answer is organizational incompetence at every level. Their rotation outside of Otani was a disaster, ranking 28th in baseball with a 5.84 RA. Their bullpen was unreliable. Their bench was filled with aging veterans who couldn’t contribute. Even when they tried to fix things, they made it worse. Going into the 2020 season, they hired Joe Madden as the manager and even ranked 13th in MLB in total payroll. The result, they were on pace for the worst winning percentage in franchise history. Doesn’t matter who the manager is. It just doesn’t. Doesn’t matter that you have Mike Trout. Doesn’t matter that you had Albert Pul. Doesn’t matter that you had Show Otani. None of it matters. Now, there’s a perfect tweet that sums up the Trout Otani era, and it’s this. Every time I see an Angel’s highlight, it’s like Mike Trout hit three home runs and raised his average to 528, while show Otani did something that hasn’t been done since Tungsten Armor Doyle of the 1921 Akran Groomsman as the Tigers defeated the Angels 8 to3. Now, this post was funny for two reasons. One, because it’s true, but two, because we knew the Angels weren’t going to do a damn thing to try and change it. And here’s what makes the story even more tragic. Mike Trout could have demanded a trade years ago. He’s earned that right, but he remains unwavering in his commitment to the Angels even as the organization behind him continues to fail him. Former teammate Tory Hunter says for people that say he doesn’t want to win a championship, that’s 100% false. Nobody is more competitive. Nobody is more hellbent on changing the narrative. And to that degree, Trout signed a 12 years, $426.5 million extension in 2019, committing to the Angels through 2030. Now, since signing that deal, the Angels have rewarded him with zero playoff appearances and zero winning seasons. The easy way out is just ask for a trade. You know, when I signed that contract, I I’m loyal. You know, I want to win a championship here. Jared Weaver, Trout’s former teammate, explained his loyalty. Quote, “He signed here. He knew what he was getting into and he wants to stay here. Like he said, it would mean even more to win here after people are saying he should leave, but that loyalty is being wasted. Trout has missed significant time in each of the last eight seasons due to injury, and now he’s 33 years old. His prime is slipping away, and the Angels are no closer to contending than they were when he was 20. The 2023 season should have been the Angels last best chance to do something special. They had trial when he was healthy. and Otani in his prime. Instead, the season was a failure by August. The Angels started that season strong, but fell apart after the All-Star break. They peaked at 56 and 51 on deadline day. Actually, still mathematically alive for a playoff spot. But just four games above 500. Really, that’s your peak. Any smart organization would have looked at their situation and traded their superstar for a massive hall. But instead, Moreno made an emotional decision. He traded away prospects to acquire players like Lucas Gelo and Ronaldo Lopez, mortgaging the future for one last desperate push. And we all know how that season and saga ended. Arty Moreno and why he is the blame because he is the one of course as the owner overseeing all this. He was the one who did not take advantage full advantage of the economic benefits. He’s the one who did not allow his front office to trade Otani. And of course, he’s the one who ultimately did not sign Otani either. And things of course only got worse from there. In 2024, the team posted a franchise record 99 losses, finishing dead last in their division. Meanwhile, Otani was busy winning another MVP with the Dodgers and helping them reach the World Series. For the Angels, the farm system remains the worst in baseball. They have no significant prospects on the horizon. Their payroll is crippled by terrible contracts and their owner continues to make decisions based on emotion rather than logic. The Angels front office from 2012 to 2024 has failed so spectacularly that they should be charged with crimes against baseball. It is truly heartbreaking to see not just one but two generational talents fail to win anything because their organization couldn’t provide any support. In the end, the Angels failure to build around Mike Trout and Show Otani represents one of the greatest organizational failures in professional sports history. They had lightning in a bottle twice. First with Trout, then with the Trout and Otani combination and somehow managed to waste both opportunities. The saddest part is that Trout is running out of time. He’s 33. He’s dealing with more injuries and he’s trapped on a team that shows no signs of improvement. As one writer put it, Mike Trout is an inner circle hall of famer, perhaps one of the 25 best players in Major League Baseball history. But close your eyes. Most casual fans can’t even remember the last time they saw him play in a meaningful game. But there is a small chance that’s all about to change. Recently, the Angels traded Taylor Ward to the Orioles for Grayson Rodriguez. And I’ll be honest, the Halos fleeced the Orioles. Ward is a soon-to-be free agent. We know the Angels won’t pay him. So they shipped him off for a young starter with tons of potential. But if only they did that with Shoi Otani as well. Maybe after his billionth mistake, Art Moreno is learning. Maybe someday somehow Mike Trout will get his moment in October. But with each passing season, that dream gets a little bit more distant. And that’s a tragedy not just for Angels fans, but for everyone who loves baseball, because greatness this pure shouldn’t be wasted. And the Angels have wasted it twice. But what do you guys think? Is this the worst organizational failure in baseball history? Or is there another team that you think has fumbled the bag more? Let me know in the comments below. And don’t forget to subscribe. Appreciate you guys. I’ll see you on the next

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