Mike Trout: The Contract

On March 20, 2019, Mike Trout signed the biggest contract in sports history. The Angels’ outfielder signed for 12 years worth 430 million dollars. That sentence is not a typo. Almost half a billion dollars for one player, and he deserves it.

The phenom is only 27-years-old, but has already established himself as one of the best to play the game. Trout’s Wins Above Replacement or WAR stat is 64 games over his entire career. This means without him, his team would have lost 64 games they previously won. This metric is insanely high amongst anyone to ever have stepped on a baseball field. While his Wins Above Replacement might be mind-boggling, his other stats should not be ignored.

With every MLB legend, the media begins to dissect their performance and stats through their first 1,000 games. Mike Trout’s were extremely impressive. Through 1,000 games, Mike Trout only came up five hits short of Pete Rose’s accumulated record which has not been broken since 1985.  This milestone is a huge one not only for Mike Trout but the game of baseball.

Before this season, Mike Trout was signed to a six year 144 million dollar contract. This was considered a massive contract and solidified Trout’s tenure in the big leagues. While he is currently swimming in money, Trout is one of the most humble players in the league. For example, early on in his career, Trout lived in his parents’ basement in his hometown of New Jersey during the offseason to be near his trainer.

Many people across the MLB want Trout to become the face of the league and in order to do this, they want him to be more outgoing. Players like Javy Baez and Manny Machado are more “in your face” and are known for getting involved in fights, high-profile relationships and family trouble off the field. Javier Baez recently got married and continues to do magazine covers for several different companies. Manny Machado stays in the news due to his temper and recently made headlines regarding his 300 million dollar contract. Mike Trout is the complete opposite. Despite his big contract, when he is off the field, he never makes big waves.

Without a doubt, Mike Trout is one of the best to play the game. His stats speak for themselves, and he is only getting better. His attitude toward life may not be with the MLB wants for publicity purposes, but Mike Trout is living his life how he wants to and without regrets. With this new contract, he solidifies himself as the highest paid athlete ever to play a sport.

By Adam Smith