Stephen A. Smith Sparks Outrage With Trade Demand For Mike Trout

ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith isn't known for his baseball takes, but he struck a nerve in the MLB community this week.

After Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout hit two home runs in a 11-10 loss to the New York Yankees on Monday night, Smith came on "First Take" and urged the three-time MVP to demand a trade. His argument was that MLB fans deserve to see Trout play meaningful baseball during the back half of his career.

"Can you demand a trade? Yo, Mike Trout. We love you man. We can't get enough of watching you... when you're healthy, which seems to be rare these days," Smith said. "Can you demand a trade? Can you get tired of giving the impression that you're just chilling in Anaheim?"

Trout, a future Hall of Famer, has not given any indication that he's unhappy in Los Angeles. It's also important to note that he still has four years left on his $426.5 million contract.

Now that we've got those facts down, MLB fans want Smith to stop talking about Trout's future with the Angels.

"Stephen A not realizing the Angels would trade Mike Trout and his $426.5M contract in a heartbeat if they could shows you how little he understands baseball," a social media user said.

"Highest paid sports journalist of all time just does not know ball," a fan declared.

"He can.. he prob wont.. also his contract is a complicated one.. he's an Angel for life," a Yankees content creator wrote on X.

"One of many reasons you know ESPN doesn't give a s--- about baseball is not knowing that Mike Trout is right where he wants to be," another fan replied.

Would the Angels even deal Trout?

Trout, 34, is set to make roughly $37.2 million per year for the next four seasons. That's a hefty price for a player who hasn't appeared in more than 130 games in a single season since 2019.

Back in September 2024, Sam Blum and Andy McCullough were told the Angels would need to eat most of Trout's contract in order to facilitate a blockbuster trade.

Suffice to say, a trade involving Trout is unlikely at this time.

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This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 12:29 PM.