Mike Trout Signed the Most Insane Deal In the History of the MLB Today

Remember when Manny Machado and Bryce Harper signed those big contracts a few weeks ago? Well the Angels saw that and said, “Hold my beer”. They decided to offer Mike Trout a 12 year, $430 million contract, by far the richest contract in MLB history. Trout’s annual salary will be $35.8 million per year, which is absolutely astronomical. Although Trout has arguably been the best player in the game since he entered the league, is this contract worth it?

Honestly, I love this move for the Angels. They essentially locked down the best player in baseball for the rest of his career. Assuming they don’t trade Trout and assuming there’s no opt-out clause, Trout will be 40 when this contract expires. The Angels know that they have a once in a generation player on there team and they don’t plan on letting him go. While this contract may seem massive (because it is), it may seem more reasonable in a few years. Remember that in every sport, the amount of money teams have to spend goes up every year. This is due largely to things like new TV deals, social media deals, and inflation. Just for a reference, the NFL salary cap increases by about $2 million/year.

When teams have more money to spend, these types of deals just aren’t a big deal for them. This is especially true for a big market team like the Angels. So even though this contract seems massive, it’s just the price of doing business with the best player in the game. Hopefully the Angels can add some more pieces around him and not waste his immense talent. But one thing’s for sure: this team has the perfect center piece for a championship squad.

-Stephen Brown III (@sbtrey23)