Rolling the dice on Trout

If you didn’t know, Mike Trout, the biggest star in baseball, has a baby on the way. And he may not play for the Angels in 2020. That comment from Trout today left the baseball world and the fantasy world spinning. Losing Trout would be a huge blow to MLB. It would also be a huge blow for you if you drafted him on your fantasy team.

There were plenty of folks who drafted a team before the pandemic shut down baseball in March. I drafted two teams. Fortunately, I didn’t draft Trout on either one. I had the second pick in one draft, but the guy ahead of me took Trout. At the time, I was debating between him and Ronald Acuna, Jr. I was going to take the player he left behind.

I feel fortunate that I didn’t wind up with Trout on either of my teams, but now I want to trade for him.  Do you think I’ve lost my mind? I don’t agree with Rahm Emanuel on much, but I do agree with him on this: “You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it’s an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”

Trout said today he is more concerned about the safety and well-being of his family in light of the risk of contracting the COVID-19 virus. After all, there’s not just his health but also the health of his pregnant wife and unborn child to consider. But the purpose of this blog is not to resolve the issue about whether Trout should play, or sit out for the season.

The purpose of this column is to drive home a key point for every fantasy player. When a big star like Trout is on the bubble about playing, you might want to roll the dice and try to trade for him. Why? Because you might get him for a discounted price. This is exactly what I did on one of leagues. I offered the owner with Trout Eddie Rosario in a trade.

Don’t get me wrong. I like Eddie Rosario, and that’s why I drafted him in the seventh round back on January 30th. He hit .276 last year, with 91 runs scored, 32 home runs and 109 RBI. If the rival owner takes me up on this trade, and Trout opts out, he will be very happy. But if the Angels convince Trout to play, I will be happy to have him on my roster.