Will Mike Trout ever play for a contender? Plus, Duke dominates

New York Times

30-03-2025

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Good morning! Don't give up three homers on the first three pitches you throw today.
This weekend, the Angels are visiting the White Sox in just about the saddest opening-weekend series imaginable.
Unlike last year's record-setting Sox, these Angels are not going to be the worst team in baseball, but they are likely to remain sub-mediocre. FanGraphs started them out with 10 percent postseason odds. You know the basics: Shohei Ohtani is long gone, playing elsewhere in the Los Angeles region. The club hasn't made the playoffs in a full 10 years now. Keith Law ranks the farm system dead last. The starting rotation is almost that bad. The Tungsten Arm O'Doyle tweet is a baseball article of faith.
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In the middle of it all, still, is Mike Trout. From 2012 to 2019, he was a time-traveling Willie Mays, averaging nine wins above replacement (per Baseball Reference). From 2020 to '24, he was a decently productive outfielder, averaging 2.8 — with an outlier 40-homer 2022.
The Angels and their greatest player have slipped into an even sadder phase lately. Trout is probably still a heck of a hitter, having accumulated a 140 OPS+ last year. He's just always hurt. The past five seasons, he's played 53, 36, 119, 82 and 29 games. How much greatness does he have left to share? Sadly, it's a fair question.
He turns 34 this season, and the Angels finally gave up on a key part of his baseball identity: playing center field. He's now a right fielder on a hopeless team that wants to avoid him being a defensive liability as he ages.
You know what would be fun? Trout going to a contending team, becoming a designated hitter, staying healthy-ish and getting his Ray Bourque-on-the-Avalanche championship. It would be hard, though, no matter how many people dream of Trout one day going to his hometown-ish Phillies (he's from New Jersey) or anywhere else. He's signed through 2030 for $35.45 million per year, making him a toxic asset the Angels might not even want to move. I asked The Athletic's Angels reporter, Sam Blum, for percentage odds of a Trout trade:
💬 About 15 percent. The only reason it's that high is the chance he's dealt in the very late stages of his deal, for the purpose of getting him closer to home and to a contender ahead of retirement. But generally, I think it's very unlikely that Trout is ever dealt. For one, he's expressed no interest in it. His contract is also too expensive, and his production has been too minimal. The Angels would have to eat a lot of money. Or they'd have to be performing badly and Trout would need to be putting up MVP-level numbers. Even then, I wouldn't expect Arte Moreno to deal his most marketable star.
The plans for Trout's exfiltration will stay in a Signal thread full of Pulse staffers. For now.
You know the drill by now. An underdog makes a late run, but it ultimately proves all for naught as the year of the chalk continues. Nevertheless, half the Final Four is set: No. 1 Florida and No. 1 Duke. Let's start with the nail-biter:
No. 3 Texas Tech looked poised to become the first giant killer of the tournament, up by nine with less than three minutes to play. Enter: a barrage of 3s from Florida, as Walter Clayton Jr. showed exactly why he's earned Stephen Curry comps in recent weeks. The last one was simply ridiculous:
WALTER CLAYTON ARE YOU SERIOUS?! 🤯#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5YeSqK5khr
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 30, 2025
On the other side of the bracket, the Blue Devils put everyone on notice. Duke dismantled No. 2 Alabama 85-65, despite Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel combining to shoot just 12-of-31 from the field.
Much of the same on the women's side, where the top seeds all advanced yesterday. Of note:
USC has a JuJu Watkins Funko Pop on their bench 🥹
[image or embed]
— The Athletic (@theathletic.bsky.social) March 29, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Half of men's Final Four is set
Three home runs on the first three pitches. That's how the Yankees welcomed former Yankee pitcher Nestor Cortes back to the Bronx. Through four innings, Aaron Judge had three home runs on his own. And by the time the Brewers' pitching staff limped to the finish line, New York had launched nine balls over the fence. One shy of the MLB record. (Oh, and several Yankees players happened to be using newly designed bats … hmmm. Take a look at the unique bats.)
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More news
Red Sox DH Rafael Devers has struck out 10 times in the first three games of the season — an MLB record. Read more on his struggles to adjust to a full-time DH role.
A Caitlin Clark rookie card sold for $366,000 last night, setting a women's record. See it here.
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📺 NCAAW: No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 3 LSU
3 p.m. ET on ABC
A rematch of last year's Sweet 16 duel. Lauren Betts vs. Aneesah Morrow. Another Kim Mulkey outfit you have to see to believe. Sign me up.
📺 Men's tennis: Novak Djokovic vs. Jakub Menšík
3 p.m. ET on Tennis Channel
A win today would represent title No. 100 for Novak Djokovic. Standing in his way? Nineteen-year-old Jakub Menšík, who idolized him growing up.
📺 NCAAM: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Michigan State
5:05 p.m. ET on CBS
Tom Izzo once again has his team peaking in March. But Auburn has won each of its tournament games by double digits. Fireworks to decide the final spot in the Final Four.
Need more recs? Staff around our newsroom shared their top games to watch this weekend.
Get tickets to games like these here.
The weekend vibes continue here, where we'll both showcase our favorite content from The Athletic and share authentic recommendations for things we simply enjoyed.
This insightful piece from Chantel Jennings on Kim Mulkey's fiery coaching style and, yes, how it can lead to some misunderstood moments.
I know I'm late, but 'Empire of Pain' is extraordinary. Let it crescendo to one of the greatest scandals in U.S. history, and whisper, 'holy sh—,' 50 times. Greed is quite the opiate. — Chris Sprow
This delightful dispatch that explains why White Sox fans still showed up on opening day. A fave quote: 'It's delusion that feeds me.'
The season debut of Tyler Kepner's Sliders column, featuring each MLB team's hidden statistical drought.
The first two episodes of 'The Studio' on Apple TV+. The second episode is especially hilarious. — Zach Harper
PGA 2K25. I am unhealthily obsessed. — Chris Branch
The Trader Joe's coffee bean mini ice cream cones. — Sam Settleman
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This story on how Emma Raducanu got back on track with a quarterfinal run at the Miami Open.
Playing Marvel Rivals as Peni Parker. Nest of bombs! — Jason Kirk
Taking a walk around the block after dinner. — Torrey Hart
Scrolling through r/goats, the subreddit dedicated to goat farming. — Alex Kirshner
Cruffins. — Kevin Coulson
Most-clicked in yesterday's newsletter: Our experts' synopsis on what they're hearing about Taylor Jenkins' firing.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The men's Sweet 16 Day 2 roundup.