The fall of Mike Trout is sad

In recent years, Mike Trout hasn't been the player he once was.

We'd all like to believe that he still has a chance of being an MVP finalist in 2026, but everyone knows that it's unfortunately very… unlikely, in his case.

A Mike Trout bounce back? Mason Miller will make 30+ starts?

Greg and @YonderalonsoU bounce some ideas off each other for 2026. pic.twitter.com/yFjnQrb9ge

– MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 3, 2025

From 2012 to 2020, Trout was THE best player in Major League Baseball. He dominated every year and we knew the Angels, even if they were pockets, were going to be able to count on him.

In 2021, he was injured. In 2022, he found a way to make himself useful.

That said, in 2023 and 2024, he was injured a lot. That's when it became clear that Trout was no longer one of Major League Baseball's elite and that his prime was behind him.

He was no longer listed at the top of the best player rankings, and that no longer created any debate. #Indifference

But in 2025, it was his worst year. Why was that? Because Trout, playing in his 33rd season, didn't have the excuse of injuries to justify his… very average performances.

His WAR of 1.5 in 130 games is not good.

He was sent down as a right fielder and DH to try to keep him healthy in 2025, which worked. But when he showed up to bat, he wasn't much use.

It's relatively unrealistic to hope for a George Springer-like 2026 season in 2025, since the fountains of youth aren't necessarily always available in Anaheim.

His downfall is rather sad. Why is that? Because the future Hall of Famer is simply falling into a territory where he's being made a fool of.

He's playing for an ugly club that's going to the wall, and his performances mean that we can no longer cry wolf and ask to see him traded to a good team. No one is going to take him (even at a fraction of his salary), when he's earning over $35 million a year for another five years.

Even the U.S. has decided to strip Trout of his Captain America title for the upcoming World Baseball Classic and give it to Yankees captain Aaron Judge.

Trout doesn't deserve to play in the Classic, unfortunately.

Nothing's going right for Trout, and that's sad. He deserves better than this for what he's done in the past, but the player he is now just isn't up to it.

It must be eating him up inside.

This content was created with the help of AI.