Mike Trout continues to be one of the best MLB stars in the league, but his Los Angeles Angels cannot catch a break with on-field success and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith is sick of it.
Monday night’s dramatic loss to the New York Yankees proved to be another prime example. Trout blasted two home runs on a high-scoring night at Yankee Stadium.
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However, Aaron Judge and the Yankees still managed to come away with an 11-10 victory that sets the Angels back to 8-9 on the season. The 2026 MLB campaign still has many months to go, but the Angels don’t exactly have a great track record with helping Trout reach the postseason.
“Can you demand a trade?”@stephenasmith wants Mike Trout to request a trade from the Angels 😳 pic.twitter.com/pQn8tphyFW
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 14, 2026
That led to ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith pleading with the ball club and Trout to get him out of Los Angeles.
During his 15-year MLB career, Trout and the Angels haven’t been able to find playoff success. In fact, Trout has only appeared in three postseason games, all of which resulted in Angels losses.
“I’m going to dedicate this one to my man Jeff who lives out here in California,” Smith said on ESPN First Take. “Can we call Mike Trout out? This is one of the greatest talents we’ve ever seen in the history of baseball.
“Yo, Mike Trout. We love you man. We can’t get enough of watching you … can you demand a trade?”
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Trout first joined Los Angeles back in 2011 and has since become one of the top hitters in MLB history. His 404 home runs ranks second among active players, only trailing Giancarlo Stanton.
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout scores a run in an MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
However, Trout’s lack of team success is always a knock on the player. It’s certainly an unfair critique considering how excellent he’s been as an MLB superstar, but many fans across the league hoped for a similar outcome that Smith is suggesting.
Trout grew up in South Jersey as a passionate NFL fan of the Philadelphia Eagles and a Philadelphia Phillies supporter. That naturally created the narrative that perhaps the Phillies would find a way to bring him to the National League.
However, that unfortunately never transpired to this point in his legendary career.
