Michael Nelson Trout has arguably been the best player in the MLB for nearly a decade. He’s already been highly regarded as a first-ballot Hall of Famer and the greatest to ever play the game. The only thing Trout is missing is a playoff win and World Series trophy.

Mike Trout is eager to punch his ticket to the playoffs again. The last time the Angels were in the playoffs was 2014. They were swept in 3 games in the ALDS to the Kansas City Royals. Trout is looking to put that series behind him as he only went 1-for-12.

“We are all trying to get back to the playoffs. If that’s not the mindset, you shouldn’t be here. That’s why I come in. We got one goal. Get to the Playoffs and win the World Series, ” he said when asked about his goals this season.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have been trying to equip the “Millville Meteor” with a winning team. The thing that has prohibited the Halos from winning is their pitching. They, unfortunately, did not address their pitching woes. They traded for Alex Cobb of the Baltimore Orioles and also traded for Jose Quintana of the Chicago Cubs. These are not great additions but ones that upgraded their rotation at the time.

“These pitching additions are ones that are not that significant. I will say though, they finally addressed a problem that has plagued them for the last 5 seasons,” stated Burke Bowles, a massive Angels fan.

The Halos also addressed big holes in the lineup after the departure of shortstop Andrelton Simmons. The Angels were able to acquire Jose Iglesias, Dexter Fowler, and Scott Schebler. These additions combatted the voids at SS, RF, and UTIL.

The Angels’ front office speaks often of its conviction to get Trout to the playoffs without going through a rebuilding phase. The Halos’ philosophy is to add simple pieces around Mike to push them over the hump. This has not worked for the last seven seasons, but manager Joe Maddon believes in this process.

“There’s a lot of great players that never played in a World Series, so it goes beyond Mike, but I don’t want that to happen to him. This guy loves to play. He’s wonderful to be around. Of course, I want to see it for Mike and his family, but I want to see it for everybody,” Joe Maddon told reporters over Zoom on February 22.

Arte Moreno and the Angels’ feet are held to the fire at the moment. They will decide if Trout’s playoff drought ends or extends this season. Moreno and Trout are both praying that the drought ends this season.