Mike Trout to the Cubs? Don't hold your breath on this blockbuster trade

Every team in baseball would love to have Mike Trout. That's a given. But the possibility of him donning a new uniform in 2024 could be growing - which makes everyone think about what their team would look like with the future Hall of Famer in the middle of the order.

According to Bob Nightengale, the Angels are open to trading Trout should he want out. He's said he needs to talk to the front office and ownership about the team's direction after their all-in approach at this year's trade deadline ended in disaster as Los Angeles sputters to a ninth-straight season without a postseason appearance.

The Los Angeles Angels, perhaps for the first time, are open to trading All-Star outfielder Mike Trout if he indicates to them that he wants out. Trout has exclusive no-trade rights and said recently that he wants to have a private conversation with the front office and ownership about their direction.

So let's look at this through the lens of the Chicago Cubs, a major market team - one of the most valuable franchises in all of sports - with a need for more star power and offensive firepower. With Cody Bellinger hitting free agency at year's end, there's a clear need in the outfield, as well. But for multiple reasons, the front office's solution won't be a Mike Trout trade.

Cubs aren't about to gamble it all on Mike Trout staying healthy

Trout hasn't played more than 140 games in a single season since 2016 - the year the Cubs won it all - and has eclipsed 100 games just once in the last three years. When he's on the field, he's still one of the best talents the game has ever seen. But injuries have taken a toll and any team that pulls the trigger on him is making a big time high-risk, high-reward move.

The Cubs don't love those decade-plus deals like the one Trout signed with the Angels (12 years, $426.5 million) - and while there's not a decade left on it, there's still a staggering seven years and nearly $250 million to be paid, at an AAV of just over $37 million.

Pair that figure with his checkered injury history and the top-shelf prospects the Angels will probably still and there's no chance Jed Hoyer go down this road. It runs contrary to the direction we've seen the front office take time and time again, dating back to the Theo Epstein era. Bellinger is in the cards. Ohtani and Trout are not.