Over the Monster - Trading for Mike TroutBut Can He Pitch?https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/32934/otm-fv.jpg2013-12-24T10:00:09-05:00http://www.overthemonster.com/rss/stream/50054352013-12-24T10:00:09-05:002013-12-24T10:00:09-05:00The night before Troutmas
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<figcaption>Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Sleep tight, my friends, and dream of Trout.</p> <p>T'was the night before Troutmas and all through the park<br>Not a player was stirring, not even a Carp.<br>The banners were hung in the cold Boston air<br>With the hopes a new friend soon would be there.</p>
<p>Us fans were at home decked in our reds<br>With memories of October dancing in our heads.<br>And Henry and Cherington, fitted for their rings<br>Had settled their roster with two months till spring</p>
<p>When suddenly their phones awoke and shined bright<br>A text from afar on a dark winter night<br>"Jerry Dipoto" read the 4-inch screen<br>News most surprising awaited unseen</p>
<p>"Perhaps you have noticed, my team is not great.<br>Hamilton and Pujols have become quite the weight.<br>I look at our farm system so barren and empty<br>And wonder 'how can we win 'fore two thousand and twenty?' "</p>
<p>"The writing on the wall is as troubling as clear<br>I have a superstar who'll never stay here!<br>We haven't the money, even with time<br>To match other teams dime-for-a-dime."</p>
<p>"So I turn to you, with your system so stacked<br>And financial flexibility certainly not lacked,<br>To see if we can't find a way to a trade<br>That would shock the league if ever it's made."</p>
<p>"I am sure by now you know of whom I speak,<br>Though I won't say it here for fear of a leak.<br>But if you think you can pay the price I would seek.<br>Then get back to me quickly, by the end of the week."</p>
<p>Cherington sat and he stared and he wondered and thought<br>'Could such a great talent truly be bought?<br>We might have the men, but even if we do,<br>To trade quite so many and get not even two?'</p>
<p>It's an interesting scenario, but sadly not real.<br>Young Trout isn't moving, there is no such deal.<br>But what if there was? What would it take?<br>This question we'll answer, proposals we'll make.</p>
<p>"What's the point?" You might ask, "and Bah! Humbug! too!<br>Who cares about something neither team will do?!"<br>And to you I suggest the acquisition of some spirit<br>The fun holiday sort--there's no need to fear it!<br>And who even knows? Though the idea sounds hysterical<br>All it might take is a Troutmas Day miracle.</p>
<h2>Read more Red Sox:</h2>
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<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/19/5223974/2015-red-sox-allen-webster-matt-barnes-brandon-workman">Plotting the 2015 Red Sox rotation </a></li>
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https://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5240516/mike-trout-red-sox-tradeBen Buchanan2013-12-24T09:30:02-05:002013-12-24T09:30:02-05:00Mike Trout, future Red Sox, book it
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<figcaption>USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>This is the deal that will bring Trout to the Red Sox! Maybe. It is Mike Trout, after all.</p> <p>So awhile back I wrote a piece at Sports on Earth. You can read it if you want (masochist!) but the point can be summed up by saying that <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/63933650/">your trade proposal won't work</a> so don't even try. I want to say right away that I know this is an article proposing a trade, but, because this is a trade proposal for <span>Mike Trout</span>, we already know it won't work. We're not departing reality for fantasyland unintentionally, we're already in fantasyland to start with and we're purposely staying there. So hopefully I've successfully inoculated myself from charges of hypocrisy.</p>
<p>In case it wasn't obvious already, this is an article about trading Mike Trout to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> and what it would cost to do so. Before we get to all that though, let's do Mike Trout. Trout is the best player in baseball. He was hosed out of the last two MVP awards because... I don't know, stats are stupid or something. By bWAR, Trout put up 8.8 and 10 wins in his only two seasons in the majors. Mickey Mantle, to whom Trout is so often compared, put up three seasons better than 10 wins (bWAR) in his career, but none came until he was 24. Last season Mike Trout was 21-years-old. In fairness to Mantle, he put up a 9.5 win season when he was 23. But still. For all intents and purposes Trout is Mantle. He's Mickey frick'n Mantle without the drinking and the knee problems, and he's Mantle at age 22. <span>Bryce Harper</span> and <span>Giancarlo Stanton</span> are incredible, but neither is nearly as good or as valuable as Mike Trout.</p>
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<p>At this point, Trout can be expected to generate 8-to-10 wins a season, and (here's the nutty part) maybe more. I mean, good gosh, there is a fair chance that, based on what we know about hitter aging curves, Mike Trout will get better. He's the best player in baseball and he's probably going to get better. So with all that in mind, know this: there is no more valuable player in baseball than Mike Trout. Dave Cameron underscored that fact by placing Trout at the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/2013-trade-value-the-top-10/" style="background-color: #ffffff;">top</a> of his annual Trade Value series, but had he not done that, Trout would still be the most valuable commodity in baseball. I hope I've repeated that enough.</p>
<p>So what would it take for the Red Sox to get Trout? Well, a whole lot. A whole whole lot. Because Mike Trout is the best, so prepare for the pain. We'll start with everyone's favorite binky, <span>Xander Bogaerts</span>. Say bye-bye to Xander because there is no way -- none -- that Trout comes to Boston and Xander doesn't exit stage left. What would the Sox be giving up? Six seasons of Xander Bogaerts is some pretty valuable stuff. Bogaerts is the best prospect the Red Sox have had since <span>Hanley Ramirez</span>, and probably before. We all watched what he did when he showed up at the end of the year, and the whole world saw him hit .296/.412/.481 in the post-season. With the caveat that it's very difficult to project players multiple seasons into the future, FanGraphs Oliver projection system does look five seasons ahead. That in and of itself is iffy, but add in that Bogaerts hasn't played a full major league season yet, and we get to super iffy territory. Nonetheless, <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=12161&position=3B/SS#longprojection" target="_blank">here's</a> what Oliver projects for Bogaerts over the next five seasons (in fWAR):</p>
<p>2014: 3.9<br>2015: 4.5<br>2016: 4.9<br>2017: 5.3<br>2018: 5.4</p>
<p>Add it all up and that's 24 wins. That's a darn good player. Mike Trout has had 18.8 wins over his last two seasons (and if you go by fWAR instead of bWAR it's 20.4). Now it wouldn't shock me if Bogaerts' next five seasons wound up more valuable than Oliver's number. In fact, I'm kinda expecting Bogaerts to beat that number. But let's be conservative here and go with it. In either case though Xander goes in the pot, but there's going to have to be more.</p>
<p>There are only two Red Sox on FanGraphs trade value series (which ranks from 1-to-50). Xander Bogaerts was number 29. The only other Red Sox is headed to Anaheim too, and that's <span>Dustin Pedroia</span> (number 25 on the list). Pedroia is signed for eight more seasons at a total cost of $110 million. He has limited no-trade protection, but for the purposes of this silly article we'll ignore that. That's an average annual value of $13.75 million (not including some deferred money which, again, we'll ignore, but would make his AAV even lower). Over his last four seasons, Pedroia has been worth 20.5 fWAR. Oliver guesses 15.5 fWAR over the next five seasons. That seems low to me, so I'm bumping it up a win per season.</p>
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<p>A quick point here: I'm not using WAR as anything more than a general guidepost. But I do think it's instructive to see how the numbers come out. In any case, if you add Bogaerts average WAR of about five to Pedroia's four, that puts us at nine, which, I think, is in Trout's ballpark.</p>
<p>But it still isn't enough. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> need starting pitching, so they're going to want two good starting pitching prospects too: <span>Matt Barnes</span> and Allan Webster. Or maybe they like Ranaudo better than Barnes. Doesn't particularly matter. Baseball America <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.baseballamerica.com/minors/2014-boston-red-sox-top-10-prospects/" target="_blank">ranked</a> Webster as the Red Sox fourth best prospect, and put Barnes ninth on the same list. Ranaudo would've been 11th or thereabouts according to an interview with Alex Speier that I can't find right now. Sox Prospects <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://www.soxprospects.com/" target="_blank">has</a> Barnes fifth, Ranaudo sixth, and Webster seventh. All three guys are likely top 100 prospects for BA. They're all in the upper minors and their lower 20s. They're all promising and they all have their warts. These guys aren't <span>Matt Harvey</span> is what I'm saying.</p>
<p>To sum up, in return for Mike Trout and the ability to extend him (this was part of the deal) for 10 years, the Red Sox trade Dustin Pedroia, Xander Bogaerts, Matt Barnes, and Allan Webster. There's your deal.</p>
<p>In Pedroia and Bogaerts, the Angels are getting 14 seasons worth of up-the-middle play. Pedroia's contract means that he'll never get super expensive, and Bogaerts by AAV over the next six seasons will be a pittance. The young pitching will be equally inexpensive, though you never know what you'll get in terms of performance and injury-avoidance. The Red Sox will get Trout and the ability to sign him for 10 seasons, though the cost won't be cheap. Ten seasons for $300 million is the number we writers were throwing around over email, and that seems like it might be on the low side to me. That's not to say Trout won't be worth it, but for the right to pay Trout $30 million per season over the next decade the Red Sox are giving up players who will be worth about the same or more and cost less.</p>
<p>So would I make this trade? Ugh... I don't know. Maybe? I probably should. And now I'm thinking maybe this isn't enough for Trout. I mean, it's Mike Trout! Pedroia, Ortiz, and each of the Red Sox 10 best prospects probably isn't enough! ARG! This is all why, in the article I mentioned at the beginning, I <a href="http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/63933650/" target="_blank">wrote</a>:</p>
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<p>if you have to make trade proposals, don't. But if you still have to, still don't. But if you still still have to, we don't recommend it. But if you absolutely must [...] wear a gag, disguise your voice, never use your real name, and when finished flee the country immediately.</p>
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<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/19/5223974/2015-red-sox-allen-webster-matt-barnes-brandon-workman">Plotting the 2015 Red Sox rotation </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/19/5227062/3013-red-sox-the-future-dustin-pedroia-david-ortizx" target="_blank">Where will the 2013 Red Sox be in 5 years? </a></li>
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<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/18/5222674/will-middlebrooks-red-sox-plate-discipline">Will Middlebrooks and plate discipline</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/17/5220426/the-yankees-signed-matt-thornton-what">The Yankees signed Matt Thornton. What?</a></li>
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https://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5237450/mike-trout-future-red-sox-tradeMatthew Kory2013-12-24T08:54:02-05:002013-12-24T08:54:02-05:00How the Red Sox can lure Mike Trout
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<figcaption>Jared Wickerham</figcaption>
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<p>A successful fishing expedition requires the right bait. Here's how the Sox can net themselves a Trout to go along with their Carp this offseason.</p> <p>The challenge of realize what seemingly amounts to an impossible dream is figuring out how far you're actually willing to go to achieve that dream, short of selling your soul to the devil. (Now, on the other hand, if I could sell the souls of the folks over at Pinstripe Alley and <a href="https://www.draysbay.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Rays</a> Bay, we might be getting somewhere. . . .) The problem is that the starting point would be the kind of deal the Sox offered to the Padres for Adrian Gonzalez three offseasons ago. And Adrian Gonzalez is no Mike Trout, so the deal would have to be that much more tempting to succeed.</p>
<div class="read-more">
<b>More</b>: <a target="new" href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5241352/mike-trout-trade-red-sox-xander-bogaerts">Trading for Mike Trout </a>
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<p><br>In any event, you pretty much need to be prepared with just about everything short of selling your firstborn to pry a player the calibre of <span>Mike Trout</span> from the clutches of the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Angels</a>. They would be more or less set at center field for the foreseeable future, barring major mishaps. However, there is one area where the Angels have already announced their clear interest, and where the Sox have many, many tempting goodies to offer in exchange: starting pitching.</p>
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<p><br><br>In fact, rather than wait for any of the prospects to reach full maturity, I'd start off by giving them the last year of <span>Ryan Dempster's</span> contract at a steep, steep markdown—paying no less than half of his bill for next year. (I wouldn't go so far as giving him to the Angels for free—but I'd come pretty darn close!) That solves them the problem of having an innings-eater immediately.<br><br>Now, there's still two problems. One, the Angels would be out a starting center fielder. This is not such a serious problem, however, as the <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Red Sox</a> would now have an extra fielder or two to spare, namely <span>Jonny Gomes</span> and Jackie Bradley, Jr. While Bradley is currently the incumbent in center, the presence of Trout makes him immediately expendable, while Gomes is already part of what has to be the most ridiculously redundant platoon in all of baseball (forming the most stats-resistant and second-most hirsute part of the dreaded four-headed Nacarpmesoli monster). On the other hand, we are already giving up two MLB players on the roster, so the cost of including Gomes would be to reduce the number of prospects the Angels get to round out the deal. I'll assume that the Angels pass on Gomes, and move on to the prospects.</p>
<p>Well, OK, not quite. There's one more order of business to discuss: the possibility of signing Stephen Drew to a new contract. If he is successfully re-signed, then Will MIddlebrooks now becomes the odd man out in the left infield. While I love the energy and spirit Middlebrooks brings to the team, realistically he's not going to see that much playing time with the rise of Xander Bogaerts and Drew establishing himself at shortstop for a few years. Therefore, he would become dangling trade bait, and I'd be willing to put him on my hook in this fishing expedition and see if the Angels will bite.</p>
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<p><br><br>One of the more wonderful "problems" that the Red Sox have is that they're loaded with pitching at the upper levels of the farm system. However, as already noted, the Sox will probably have two positions to fill in 2015, so they can't completely empty out the coffers for Trout. I think that, again, the Angels will want a pitcher who will be ready to start in 2015 once Dempster's contract expires, or as insurance in case Dempster falls apart earlier in the year. So that means that we need to give up the likes of an <span>Anthony Ranaudo</span>. It's potentially a big loss, but the key word is potential. What exactly has <span>Casey Kelly</span>, another former top Sox pitching prospect, accomplished since being traded to the <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Padres</a>? Given that Trout has already established himself, while Ranaudo is still a question mark, it's an exchange I'm willing to make.<br><br>I'm also prepared to part with one or two additional swingmen and relievers to sweeten the deal. Let's start with Rubby de la Rosa. He's probably bullpen-bound anyways, but now he'd serve the purpose of helping the Sox catch one of the best players in the game. I'd also offer up another reliever such as <span>Drake Britton</span> from Pawtucket, who already has meaningful experience at the major-league level.<br><br>Things get trickier at the lower minor-league levels. Of course, the Angels would want to restock their lower levels, too, if they're giving up their franchise player. I'd give them their choice of three other minor leaguers at AA or below, not named Trey Ball or Mookie Betts. (If they wanted Gomes, then this part of the deal would be off the table.)<br><br>So, to summarize, my offer to the Angels to lure Trout to Boston:</p>
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<li>An almost free year of Ryan Dempster</li>
<li>Jackie Bradley, Jr.</li>
<li>Anthony Ranaudo</li>
<li>Rubby de la Rosa</li>
<li>Drake Britton</li>
<li>Will Middlebrooks, if Stephen Drew is re-signed.</li>
<li>Their choice of: Jonny Gomes or three minor leaguers at AA or below in the system (not Mookie Betts or Trey Ball).</li>
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<p>In all, that would give them a replacement at the position lost, solidify their starting rotation for 2014 and offer help beyond, and give them some additional bullpen options that have the potential to allow the Angels to avoid shooting themselves in the foot (maybe). With the additional option of a additional major leaguers, or one of the top lower-level prospects, or a veritable buffet at Salem, Greenville, Portland, and Lowell (plus the GCL and DSL rosters), they'd have a chance to rebuild for the future on the cheap. I think it would make a strong enough package that the Angels would have to consider—without us harvesting the Red Sox farm system to extinction levels.</p>
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https://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5239648/red-sox-mike-trout-trade-fish-punlone1c2013-12-24T08:24:38-05:002013-12-24T08:24:38-05:00Bring me Michael Trout
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<figcaption>Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Ya, the Angels aren't trading Mike Trout. If they were, though, what would you give up?</p> <p>With it being the holiday season and all, it's time for dreaming. For every team in baseball, the dream is to somehow convince the Angels to trade you Mike Trout, unquestionably the best player in the game. At just 22-years-old, he has already finished second in two MVP awards (and arguably should have won both), and has put up numbers that have only been matched by the all-time greats at his age. Of course, there is probably not a package in the world in which the Angels would trade their superstar, to whom they are still paying a minimum salary. But this is a fantasy world, where he is on the block. In this alternate universe, the Red Sox would have to go all out, and deal from all of their depth, but they could do it.</p>
<div class="read-more">
<strong>More</strong>: <a target="new" href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/23/5238392/blake-swihart-no-question-to-make-baseball-americas-top-100-prospects">Blake Swihart "no question" to make MLB's top 100 prospects </a>
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<p>Of course, any deal for Trout would have to start with Xander Bogaerts. We've all gotten attached to the young shortstop, who will be a top-5 prospect on most top-100 lists. He played a big role in the later rounds of the playoffs, and showed no fear in such a big spot. Still, to get the best player in the game, there's no way you don't trade your top prospect, even if they do have superstar potential themselves.</p>
<p>If the Angels were ever going to trade Trout, it would be nice for the other team to have a nice replacement in center field to offer up. In Jackie Bradley, the Red Sox have just that. He's nowhere near the player Trout is, but he's major-league ready, and is a multifaceted player who can hit, field and run. Bradley did struggle in his small exposure to big-league pitching in 2013, but he was rushed to the majors after a hot Spring Training, and showed what kind of player he really is in Pawtucket. He should be a three or four win player for the next decade.</p>
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<p>The trade offer after this would be rounded out with a lot of pitching. The Angels are a team that, even after trading Mike Trout, would still have Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, and would still be in a win-now mode. What they really need is starting pitching. Clay Buchholz would be a perfect guy to offer up to help them in the present. He's a legit front-line guy when he's healthy - he was the best pitcher in the league before he got hurt this past year - and he's cost-controlled moving forward. For the next two seasons, he's owed $19.7 million, with two team options for the following two seasons totalling $26.5 million. He'd slot in right behind Jered Weaver in the Angels' rotation. In addition to Buchholz, the Angels would also get Henry Owens, Boston's highest upside arm, and Allen Webster, who could provide bullpen help to start the year with the potential to start down the road. Throw in a Christian Vazquez to sweeten the pot, as the Red Sox are swimming in catching depth and giving up one for someone like Mike Trout wouldn't hurt a bit.</p>
<p>It's a lot to give up, but for the Red Sox, giving up all of this young talent would be totally worth it to acquire someone who looks the part of an all-time great. In the end, Boston fans would be saying goodbye to Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley, Clay Buchholz, Henry Owens, Allen Webster and Christian Vazquez, and it could be hard to do. It would get a whole lot easier after Trout's first double, followed by a stealing of third, followed by robbing a home run in the next half inning sequence. It's obviously not going to happen, as he's not leaving Los Angeles anytime soon. But it doesn't hurt to dream.</p>
<h2>Read more Red Sox:</h2>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/19/5223974/2015-red-sox-allen-webster-matt-barnes-brandon-workman">Plotting the 2015 Red Sox rotation </a></li>
<li><a target="_blank" href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/19/5227062/3013-red-sox-the-future-dustin-pedroia-david-ortizx">Where will the 2013 Red Sox be in 5 years? </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/18/5223152/is-2014-the-year-for-a-major-red-sox-trade">Is 2014 the year for a major Red Sox trade?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/18/5222674/will-middlebrooks-red-sox-plate-discipline">Will Middlebrooks and plate discipline</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/17/5220426/the-yankees-signed-matt-thornton-what">The Yankees signed Matt Thornton. What?</a></li>
</ul>
https://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5238518/mike-trout-trade-red-soxMatt_Collins2013-12-24T08:20:50-05:002013-12-24T08:20:50-05:00Trading for Mike Trout
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lU6yrIEaxtHaCA-UFArxfxF9fCA=/0x222:2662x1997/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/25673635/20130905_ajl_ak6_389.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>All we want for Christmas is Mike Trout under the tree. Please do not forget the air holes.</p> <p>I know that this article says it's written by the lovely and talented Bryan Joiner, but it's not. At least, not yet. For now, you're stuck with me, Marc Normandin, with Bryan coming along a little later. I'm here to explain why you just saw what you did and clicked on it.</p>
<p>It's Christmas season, meaning it's time to give gifts. What do you get for the team that has everything, though? Seriously, what do you buy for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>: they're overflowing with prospects and the roster is full and they just won <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">the World Series</a>. Oh, we know! How about we figure out a scenario in which the Sox could trade for baseball's best player, <span>Mike Trout</span>?</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1978863/20130801_ads_bs5_029.0.jpg"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1978863/20130801_ads_bs5_029.0.jpg" class="photo" alt="20130801_ads_bs5_029"></a><font size="1">This guy<em>. (Photo credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)</em></font></p>
<p>Sure, Trout isn't on the trade market, but we can envision a scenario where it could happen. A Christmas miracle, if you will. Let's say Trout knows he could make, oh, I don't know, $400 million on the free agent market should he wait that long. That moment is a long time from now, though, and Trout, who is teammates with <span>Albert Pujols</span> and <span>Josh Hamilton</span>, realizes that a whole lot can go wrong at any time, regardless of your innate talent. So, he wants an extension, and he wants it right now, for somewhere between $250-$300 million for 10 years. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a>, thanks to the aforementioned albatrosses and not actually being in the Los Angeles market, cannot give him this, so Trout is on the market, with the idea being he will go to a team that has the prospects and the financial backing to secure him through what should be his legendary years.</p>
<p>We're assuming for our purposes that the Red Sox will make the money work even if they pay Trout $30 million per year -- he's Mike Trout, and there's no reason in having him if you aren't going to build around him. One major hurdle remains, though, and that's satisfying the Angels in a trade. For that, I'll turn things over to Bryan below. And <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5237450/mike-trout-future-red-sox-trade">Matthew Kory</a>, and <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5240516/mike-trout-red-sox-trade">Ben Buchanan</a>, and <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5238518/mike-trout-trade-red-sox">Matt Collins</a>, and <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5239648/red-sox-mike-trout-trade-fish-pun">lone1c</a>.</p>
<p>I'm not sure if the Angels will go for Joiner's offer, but I have to say, the accoutrements are certainly unique. The rest of the bunch are far lengthier with their explanations, so if you're looking for some meat to satisfy your hunger for baseball over Christmas, we have that, too. Consider this introduction your appetizer.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;">-Marc Normandin</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/images/blog/star-divide.v5e9d7f1.jpg" alt="Star-divide"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">1. Xander Bogaerts. It has been theorized that one could make a Trout offer without him, but everyone who has tried has gone mad.<br><br>2. Felix Doubront. Solid No. 3 starter, something the Angels do not have.<br><br>3. Choice of any two other prospects (must be at different positions). The first the Angels get automatically; the second, we can negotiate.<br><br>4. Jenny Dell. Trouble in paradise. Better than inevitably following <span>Will Middlebrooks</span> to Japan.<br><br>5. Nantucket.<br><br>6. Two beers from Fenway. (Time saved: two weeks and two hours. Two weeks waiting for a MA license, two hours in line.)<br><br>7. An extremely versatile paper bag. (<a href="https://twitter.com/mattymatty2000" target="_blank">Must accept the Matthew Kory inside</a>.)</p>
<h2>Read more Red Sox:</h2>
<p><a data-size="large" data-show-count="true" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/overthemonster" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Follow @overthemonster</a><a data-size="large" data-show-count="true" class="twitter-follow-button" href="https://twitter.com/SBNationMLB" style="background-color: #ffffff;">Follow @SBNationMLB</a></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/19/5223974/2015-red-sox-allen-webster-matt-barnes-brandon-workman">Plotting the 2015 Red Sox rotation </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/19/5227062/3013-red-sox-the-future-dustin-pedroia-david-ortizx" target="_blank">Where will the 2013 Red Sox be in 5 years? </a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/18/5223152/is-2014-the-year-for-a-major-red-sox-trade">Is 2014 the year for a major Red Sox trade?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/18/5222674/will-middlebrooks-red-sox-plate-discipline">Will Middlebrooks and plate discipline</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/17/5220426/the-yankees-signed-matt-thornton-what">The Yankees signed Matt Thornton. What?</a></li>
</ul>
https://www.overthemonster.com/2013/12/24/5241352/mike-trout-trade-red-sox-xander-bogaertsBryan Joiner