What is the WAR of unloading the Pujols contract? I'm actually curious as to what value that brings the Angels because it would be a big factor in the Trout trade. Assuming Arte never wants to break the luxury tax threshold, that contract is much more devastating to the Angels than it would be to the Dodgers who seem to not really care about spending if it would net them a player like trout. The Angels essentially have 2 options at this point if they do not want to surpass the luxury tax threshold:
1. Trade every player of value that will no longer be cheap and/or on the team in 2019. Pray that the little value we have in those players pans out enough to where we can fill in the holes on our team in the FA offseason going into 2019.
2. Trade Trout in a trade where you can unload Pujols and his entire contract and get 5-6 young controllable assets (probably not realistic but who knows what the Dodgers would be willing to do). Trade all others of value who will not be here on + value contracts beyond the 2017 season.
I think option 2 gives the Angels a much better chance at being a playoff team by getting the Pujols contract off the books and getting solid prospects/major league ready talent. That being said, option 1 has the chance to be successful but management needs to realize that trying to win in 2017 and 2018 is useless. Sign a bunch of players to 1 year deals in each of those seasons and trade them at the deadline for future assets. In fact, the Angels should sign Lincecum now, not to help the team this year, but to hope that he has a great 2 months and trade him at the deadline for future assets. If the Angels are essentially viewing the luxury tax as a hard salary cap, they need to take a page out of the Ducks handbook and get young controllable assets.
Also, it has to be taken into consideration that Trout has been much more valuable to the Angels in the past and for next season while his salary is still reasonable. Trout is much less valueable on a per dollar basis in 2018 when he will be making 34M/yr for the next 3 years. It will still be a valuable contract, but not nearly as valuable as it has been in the past or as valuable as it is with this years salary of 16M.