Angels' Mike Trout Says 'This Is Where I Want to Be' Despite Disappointing Season

Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout shot down speculation he'd seek a trade amid the team's frustrating first half of the 2022 MLB season.

The three-time American League MVP, who signed a 12-year, $426.5 million contract in 2019, said he remains committed to the Angels despite the club's seven-year playoff drought and current 37-45 record.

"I signed the contract, and this is where I want to be," Trout said Tuesday, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. "A lot of people are like, 'Oh, he wants to be traded. Do this. Do that.' I want to win. Everybody knows that. Going into the year, this isn't where we wanted to be, obviously. Everybody knows that. We've still got time to turn this around."

The fact L.A. features arguably baseball's two best players, Trout and two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, and still hasn't been able to build a consistent winner has reached meme status.

Injuries have been a factor, most notably this year the loss of Anthony Rendon to season-ending wrist surgery, but the front office's inability to build roster depth around its core duo is the source of the issue.

The emergence of outfielder Taylor Ward has provided a little boost, but he's the only Angels hitter outside of Trout and Ohtani who's compiled a WAR over 1.0 so far this season, per FanGraphs.

Trout wasn't willing to place the blame on the shoulders of general manager Perry Minasian and Co., though.

"Obviously, this isn't the way they wanted it," he said. "I know it's not. They've got a winning mindset up there. They are doing everything they can to put a winning team out there. We've gotta go out there and play. That's the biggest thing. It falls on the players. We're not performing."

It's a diplomatic response, but the reality is the front office's efforts have fallen short.

Coming off a 77-85 season, the Angels' biggest offseason additions were Noah Syndergaard, Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera. They represented a modest boost to the pitching staff, but no significant changes were made to an offense that ranked 17th in runs scored last year.

L.A. has slid to 25th in runs so far in 2022 and would likely need multiple high-profile offensive additions before the Aug. 2 trade deadline to turn things around.

Yet, Trout has steered clear of any type of trade talk by pointing toward his contract, which runs through 2030.

While it's possible he'll stick with the Halos for the duration of his deal, it's also fair to wonder whether he'll eventually grow impatient with a franchise that's been unable to put him in position to seriously chase a World Series title while at the peak of his powers.

In the short term, the Angels will attempt to snap a four-game losing streak Wednesday night when Ohtani takes the mound against Trevor Rogers and the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park.