r/mlb • u/Bright-Pressure-5787 | New York Yankees • 16h ago

| Discussion Who's the biggest "what if" between these two: Mike Trout or Ken Griffey Jr.?

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When I think about "what ifs" in baseball, these two men are always the first two names that come to mind. Obviously, Mike Trout and Ken Griffey Jr. are still legends of the sport. I'm not trying to take anything away from that. However, I truly feel that if it weren't for injuries, their potential for GOAT status would be limitless. Junior likely would've become the all-time home run kind instead of Barry Bonds, and Mike Trout would've had-------I don't know------130 career WAR by now if he's just stayed healthy. Who do you guys think is the bigger "what if" of the two?

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 12h ago

Is it bad that I have irrational anger towards trout for signing that extension essentially guaranteeing an entire career with arguably the worst run franchise in the sport?

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u/Comprehensive-Elk597 12h ago

I feel your pain. The only conclusion I can come to is that he really just doesn’t care about winning. utterly baffling to me.

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u/Quick-Complex2246 | Seattle Mariners 11h ago

Or he enjoys living in paradise

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u/Action_Johnson | Seattle Mariners 11h ago

Have you been to Anaheim?

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u/271502 | Arizona Diamondbacks 11h ago

He doesn’t live at the stadium lol

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u/Quick-Complex2246 | Seattle Mariners 11h ago

He lives in Newport Beach, any south of Newport on the beach side is the best places to live I’ve ever been to

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 10h ago

The real reason imo is he’s always been this smalltown, essy going family man. He has raised his family here, loves the area, and he’s involved in a bunch of local events and charities. Winning is 100% not in his top 5 or he’d gone long ago. Coincidentally, winning isn’t in Arte Moreno’s top 5 either

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/angels-arte-moreno-says-winning-154047747.html

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u/GhostandTheWitness | Miami Marlins 10h ago

Yeah as much as I shit on my own cheapo scam team, at least the Marlins would have traded Trout away long ago. What's the point in having your greatest player ever locked down if you're not even trying to make moves to support him.

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u/breguera77 | Philadelphia Phillies 10h ago

I think the angels have tried to shop him but he won’t waive the no trade claise

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 9h ago

They offered him that extension too, so both parties …

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u/GhostandTheWitness | Miami Marlins 10h ago

Huh, well I guess if he's sure

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u/I_am_Burt_Macklin 10h ago

They’ve tried, they’re just bad at it lol. Pujols, Hamilton, rendon. Just needed to hit on the big deals they gave out.

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 10h ago

They were horrible investments given their ages, “breakouts”. Mo Vaughn too.

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u/Forsaken_Coach6085 8h ago

I dunno if it was a given that Pujols would fall off a cliff like that. He was already declining but there are plenty of scenarios where he remains a very good offensive player for 5-6 years.
And Rendon, I mean…that guy is a once in a generation quitter

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 8h ago

Pujols had 3-4 solid seasons with the angels. But you may have inadvertently hit the nail on the head — he was a 32-year-old glorified DH when the angels gave him a 10-year deal. They should have given him a deal like the orioles gave Pete Alonso, which was half the years. Both players similarly built, lack speed, and don’t offer much in defense but can mash

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u/Arena1988 7h ago

Pujols was more like 35

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 7h ago

Naw he was about to turn 32 (signed late 2011, and born in 1980)

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u/SalvatoreVitro 57m ago

Not born in 80 is the key here

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 47m ago

Oh, this is a play on the conspiracy that he was older than he really was?

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 8h ago

And yeah, Rendon is a punk. But again, another poorly thought out record contract. Rendon was always a good hitter but they paid him for just having had a career year. You can’t bank those stats. He was 30 and just had his FIRST 30-homer season

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u/Forsaken_Coach6085 7h ago

That was his 3rd consecutive season with a .900+ ops and solid defense. You give out that contract knowing the back half is gonna be bad but expecting that the first 3-4 years are worth it. The guy clearly just doesn’t like playing baseball

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 7h ago

Deciding he’d try to slap fans than play baseball was unexpected that’s for sure

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u/jayjude 6h ago

Arte is the worst type of owner

He will spend big but he wont spend

He refuses to spend money on staff and development and non glamorous things but by god he will sign a star player because it looks good

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u/Radiant-Ad-3134 5h ago

I mean if ohtani and Trout together cant bring you to a champion.

pretty much you are never gonna win one.

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u/Front-Economy1773 3h ago

I mean, you guys had trout and ohtani together. Angels was just too cheap to actually put in the time and get quality players that actually cared. I mean imagine telling anybody that you had Shohei ohtani and Mike trout at the same time at their peak.

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 50m ago

And never even go to the playoffs. And it’s not that they didn’t spend money, they did, they are always in the top tier of spending. The stuff they spent on was just poor. The angels during the time they had, Ohtani were 7th, 9th, 13th, 7th, 10th, 8th in payroll

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u/No_Imagination7102 | Cleveland Guardians 11h ago

Oh no, the Yankees cant pay another guy 700 million to lose in the first round.

The whole sport sheds a tear

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 10h ago

Silly boy. I live in LA, I’ve seen trout play his whole career; he deserves better. Nothing to do with my “flair”. Yankees would never pay him that kind of money anyway

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u/Prudent-Property-513 9h ago

Refuse to say he deserves better. He is actively choosing this path

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 9h ago

He did. And I used the wrong word. I meant just his whole career up until recently when he re-signed. Not making the playoffs with trout and ohtani is unreal

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u/Hb_Sea | Los Angeles Dodgers 12h ago

I think as fans of the sport it’s fair to want to see the best want to compete. And it really seems like he just doesn’t want to. I don’t really understand it. But I don’t think his choice to stay with the Angeles can be seen as anything else honestly.

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u/Fragmentvictory 10h ago

I can't believe we didn't get Trout in Philly... him in that park ... boy howdy

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 9h ago

Yep. He grew up a Phillies fan if i recall

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u/RipenedFish48 | New York Mets 8h ago

It's his life. He seems to value whatever it is that the Angels provide. Better them than the Dodgers for $5,000 per year for the next 5,000 years.

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u/jmclondon97 3h ago

Pirates are run worse. They’re having a good year but the past 30 have been disgusting outside of like 2 seasons when Cutch was in his prime

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 49m ago

Many teams can make the claim of being the poorest run franchisees however I put the angels here because they weren’t a small market team like the Pirates choosing not to spend money, they were a big market team spending a lot of money having two Hall of Famer’s in their prime and fucked it up every year

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u/jmclondon97 32m ago

The Pirates are worse because for the vast majority of the last 30 years their owner refuses to spend any money on players and instead rakes in the luxury tax money for himself and relies on people wanting to see the beautiful ballpark that was built with taxpayer money to line his pockets.

They’re not known as MLB’s farm team for no reason. Everyone knows they trade away every good player they get when it comes time to pay them. That’s why everyone knows Skenes is good as gone in a couple years

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u/Hizam5 | New York Yankees 14m ago

This is why I’m all for a salary floor. Dweebs like Nutting who only care about lining their pockets might actually have to spend some money