Mike Trout Signs 12-Year, $430 Million Deal With Angels, Largest Contract In Pro Sports History

Franchise cornerstone Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are finalizing the largest contract in professional sports history. The New Jersey native will stay on the West Coast for another 12 years and make $430 million over that time frame, it was reported Tuesday. The deal would lock up Trout until he’d be 39 years old, presumably making him a one-team player.

Outfielder Mike Trout Lands Big Angels Deal

Trout is just 27, has already won 2 American League MVP Awards, and has come in second place four more times. The $36 million per-year average annual value surpasses the previous record of $34.4 million that the Arizona Diamondbacks gave out to Zack Greinke. The total value of the deal also passes Bryce Harper‘s recent record-setting $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies by 30%.

Trout was due to hit free agency following the 2020 season but that didn’t mean that teams were waiting. In fact, Harper was lobbying for Trout to come back home and join the Phillies. The seven-time All-Star grew up 45 miles south of Philly in Melville, New Jersey and was a diehard Phillies fan in his youth, and even attended the team’s 2008 Championship parade.

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By ripping up the last two years of a six-year, 144.5 million dollar deal and replacing it with the new contract, the Angels sidestep a bidding war for the most dominant player in baseball.

Through the first eight years of his career, Trout has garnered comparisons to Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and a handful of Hall of Famers.  In 1,065 games, he has slashed .307/.416/.573 with 240 home runs, 648 RBIs, 793 runs and 189 stolen bases. His 64.3 wins above replacement is the highest for anyone through their age-26 season.

Despite the failures of major contracts to Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton, the Angels knew they couldn’t let Trout walk. However, there is a possibility that Trout never reaches the playoffs again. In eight seasons, he’s been there only once. In that appearance, his team was swept in the first round. With a farm system ranked in the back half of the MLB, the future doesn’t look great for the Angels. But baseball is a sport in which anything can happen, especially with regards to player development, and having the best player in the game can’t hurt.

Article by Bill Piersa