Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels and outfielder Mike Trout have come to terms on a 12-year, $430 million contract extension that's the richest in both Major League Baseball and sports history, the Angels announced Wednesday night. 

Angels owner Arte Moreno released a statement on the deal, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand:

The 27-year-old eclipsed the contract Bryce Harper signed earlier this offseason by $100 million. Harper agreed to a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.   

Trout is now locked in with the Angels through the 2030 season.

Already one of the greatest players in modern baseball history, Trout has been named an All-Star seven times and won two MVPs—though many would contend he deserved one or two more. 

Since Trout's first full MLB season, he has put up 64.9 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs. No other hitter has more than 47.3 WAR (Buster Posey). 

Among position players, Trout's career already sits at No. 80 in the history of baseball, per the WAR metric. He'll pass the likes of Tony Gwynn, Manny Ramirez and Derek Jeter, among others, and likely climb into the top 40 this season—provided he continues performing at his 2018 level.

"It's well-deserved," Albert Pujols told reporters of his teammate. "I don't think there's anybody in baseball besides him that deserves that [contract]. Trout is the best, and the numbers speak for itself."

"I got mine in my time, and [I'm] just really excited, really pumped up for him and his family, for his mom and dad ... just real exciting," he continued. "To sign and be here hopefully for the rest of his career is gonna be pretty special, too."

Trout has done all this and still kept a low national profile, something that's been a source of consternation around baseball. ESPN did not rank him among the world's 100 most famous athletes in its 2018 rankings. 

As MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said, per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Harper deserves more recognition: 

"It's hard for me not to imagine that him not being recognized in that fashion is part and parcel of how we as an industry promote. I believe there are opportunities to move our game and our players back into the forefront of the conversation and to do so in such a way that benefits the industry as a whole.

"Mike is doing things that our game has rarely seen. It would be fantastic if more people knew about it."

Harper (No. 99) was the only baseball player on the World Fame 100 list. Trout may not be the most well-known name in baseball, but now he's the highest-paid in its history. 

Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are close to agreeing upon a record-breaking 12-year, $426.5 million contract, according to Bleacher Report's Scott Miller.

Trout currently has two years and $66.5 million remaining on the six-year, $144.5 million deal he signed back in 2014 and was set to hit free agency following the 2020 season. Miller broke down the specifics of how the contract covers those final two years and the next decade after that:

"For accounting purposes, according to industry sources, the Trout deal incorporates the two years remaining on his current contract, which calls for him to make $33.25 million this year and next. Then comes another $360 million over the next 10 years, carrying Trout through the 2030 season. It all adds up to $426.5 million."

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the two sides were "close to finalizing" a deal, while Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times added that the contract would not include any opt-outs.

If completed, the mega-extension would set a new bar on a number of fronts.

At $426.5 million, it would become the largest deal in the history of North American sports. It would top the previous mark, owned by Bryce Harper (a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies), by almost $100 million. Harper signed that deal less than one month ago.

While Harper owns the MLB record for the largest total value, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke ($34.4 million) holds the highest annual average value. Trout ($35.5 million) would also best that figure.

It would also mark the third $300 million-plus deal handed out in baseball within the last month. Manny Machado agreed to a 10-year, $300 million deal with the San Diego Padres back on Feb. 19.

As Troy Westwood of TSN 1290 pointed out, Trout will now be earning close to six figures on a daily basis:

Darren Rovell of Action Network provided more staggering numbers:

Trout is off to one of the greatest starts to a career in MLB history. In seven full seasons, he has seven All-Star selections, an American League Rookie of the Year award, six Silver Sluggers and a pair of AL MVP awards.

He also has four runner-ups and a fourth-place finish for the AL MVP award. In other words, he has never finished below fourth in MVP voting in his career.

Angels owner Arte Moreno made it clear back in October that extending Trout was a priority. It arguably became even more crucial after Harper let it be known earlier this month that he planned on recruiting Trout, a New Jersey native, to Philadelphia in 2020.

That does not appear to be something Los Angeles is going to have to worry about anymore.

It pays to be Mike Trout, but it also pays to have collectible merchandise of the Los Angeles Angels superstar.

A signed version of Trout's 2009 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospects rookie card has been sold by GoldinAuctions.com for $186,580.

Among the reasons for the hefty price tag, in addition to Trout's signature: It was a limited edition card with only 25 made available; it was also graded as a 9.5 gem mint, and the surface and corners received perfect 10 scores.

As a point of comparison, TMZ Sports noted a 1997 Upper Deck Michael Jordan autographed All-Star Game jersey card sold for $95,000 in November.

The Angels made Trout the 25th overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft. Since making his big league debut in 2011, the 27-year-old has won two American League MVP awards, has made seven consecutive All-Star teams and is a six-time Silver Slugger winner.

Even though Trout has to wait two years before he can cash in on his value as a free agent, people in the collectibles market are already making big-time profits off MLB's best player.

The Los Angeles Angels have contacted Major League Baseball to discuss whether newly signed Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper engaged in tampering by making public statements about Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

According to Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times, Angels general manager Billy Eppler said the following on the matter in a text message: "We've been in touch with MLB, and we have no further comment at this time."

Jeff Passan of ESPN later reported the league has contacted the Angels and Phillies about the comments. Passan added MLB has yet to determine if Harper's statement amounts to tampering.

Harper addressed MLB looking into his comments on Trout, per Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

After signing a record 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies last week, Harper appeared on SportsRadio 94WIP in Philadelphia and said, "If you don't think I'm gonna call Mike Trout to come to Philly in 2020, you're crazy."

Harper also said: "For me, I can be able to talk to Trout, or whoever it is, big-name free agent or whoever wants to come to Philly or is thinking about coming to Philly, I can say, 'Hey, this is the place to be. This is where the fans are great, ownership understands it, our manager is awesome.'"

While there is some gray area when it comes to tampering, Torres noted that recruiting players who are under contract—even hypothetically—can result in punishment from MLB, such as a fine.

Most recently and notably, MLB sent a warning letter to then-Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz in 2016 for talking about his hope that starting pitcher Jose Fernandez and slugger Edwin Encarnacion would join the Red Sox.

As a native of Vineland, New Jersey, Trout is familiar with the Philadelphia area, and he grew up a Phillies fan.

He has since developed into the best all-around player in baseball. Over his eight-year career, Trout has been named an All-Star seven times and won two American League MVP awards while finishing second four additional times.

Last season, Trout hit .312 with 39 home runs, 79 RBI and 24 stolen bases while walking an AL-high 122 times.

With the signing of Harper—a one-time National League MVP in his own right—the Phillies are looking to end a seven-year playoff drought in 2019.

If the Phillies manage to sign Trout after the 2020 season as well, it is difficult to envision them being anything other than a World Series front-runner, provided the rest of their roster remains largely intact.

The Los Angeles Angels have considered offering star Mike Trout a 10-year, $350 million extension, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Rosenthal notes that it's not clear if an actual offer has been put on the table.

The 27-year-old is under contract through the 2020 season, with a salary of $33.25 million in each of the next two years.

Back in March 2014, a 22-year-old Trout signed a six-year, $144.5 million extension with Los Angeles that bought out three arbitration years as well as a trio of free agency years. It marked the highest averaged annual value ever given to a player with just two years of service time.

All Trout has done is live up to the contract and then some.

Trout has a career .307/.416/.573 slash line with 240 home runs and 648 RBI. In seven full seasons, the center fielder has an American League Rookie of the Year award, six Silver Sluggers and a pair of AL MVP awards. He has never finished outside of the top four in MVP voting, finishing runner-up four times, including last season.

As a result, there has been growing speculation that the Angels will look to lock him up before he has a chance to reach the open market. And this offseason has help reset the market for superstars.

Manny Machado (10 years, $300 million with the San Diego Padres) and Bryce Harper (13 years, $330 million) have each topped the $300 million mark this winter. Harper's deal edged out Giancarlo Stanton's 13-year, $225 million deal for the largest in league history.

Also of note, Zack Greinke's six-year, $206.5 million deal with the Arizona Diamondback holds the record for largest AAV ($34.4 million) in MLB history.

Trout is expected to command more, both in terms of AAV and total guarantee, than either Greinke or Harper.

While the Angels may be pondering an extension internally, the star himself isn't worried about his contract status at the moment.

"I haven't even thought about it," Trout told reporters Friday. "Obviously, you guys bring it up a lot and I appreciate you asking me all these questions, but right now is not the time to think about it. I still have a couple more years."

Rosenthal added that Trout, a New Jersey native, is "quite happy" in Southern California.

If Trout plays out his current contract and tests free agency following the 2020 campaign, he will be 29 years old when he signs his next deal. It may be tougher for him to get a decade-long deal (if that's what he wants) then than it would be now, but as long as he continues to perform in the meantime, he should have no problem generating interest.

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani won't be ready for Opening Day as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said he has been cleared for "full strengthening" rehab, although his next step is to take dry swings.

Ohtani underwent the surgery Oct. 1 following his successful rookie season.

Bollinger explained why Ohtani's recovery is different than usual:

The Japanese star was named the American League Rookie of the Year this season after playing well both as a hitter and pitcher in 2018.

He hit 22 home runs in 104 games as a hitter, posting a .285 batting average and .925 on-base percentage. As a pitcher, he made 10 starts and finished 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 51.2 innings.

The Tommy John surgery will prevent him from returning to the mound until 2020, but he will at least be able to contribute as a hitter during the 2019 season.

Considering his 2.7 WAR at the plate last season ranked fourth among Angels hitters, per Baseball Reference, it's clear he can still make an impact even without his pitching.

Los Angeles will hope he can recover from his surgery and get on the field as soon as possible.

Cody Allen has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Angels, according to ESPN.com's Jeff Passan and Alden Gonzalez.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal first reported Allen and the Angels were working on a one-year deal pending a physical. Passan provided more details on the negotiations:

On Friday, Rosenthal reported the deal was worth $8.5 million guaranteed, with another $2.5 million in bonuses. 

The 30-year-old right-hander is coming off the worst season of his MLB career. His 4.70 ERA was nearly two runs higher than his 2017 mark (2.94), and his 4.56 FIP ranked 131st among qualified relievers.

Allen's poor ERA and FIP weren't the results of a few bad outings either, which can sometimes happen with relief pitchers given their limited usage. He averaged 10.7 strikeouts and 4.4 walks per nine innings, his worst marks in each category since his rookie year in 2012.

Allen deserved some share of the blame for Cleveland Indians relievers' collective rankings of 26th in FIP (4.53) and 30th in home runs per nine innings (1.51).

Historically speaking, relievers age less gracefully than starting pitchers. Even a slight dip in velocity can carry significant consequences for a relief pitcher.

That may be what's happening with Allen. According to Brooks Baseball, he averaged a career-low 94.3 mph on his four-seam fastball in 2018. Not coincidentally, opposing hitters had a .441 slugging percentage and .221 isolated power against Allen's fastball.

The effect of the velocity drop is particularly acute for Allen, who basically throws two pitches: the four-seam fastball and a curveball. If Allen's fastball is no longer the weapon it once was, then he could be in trouble going forward.

Given all of the concerning metrics surrounding Allen's 2018 performance, a return to the Indians never looked likely.

Bryan Shaw appeared in 378 games over five seasons for Cleveland before hitting free agency last offseason. Despite the fact that he was one of the most dependable late-inning options for the Indians, the team opted against bringing him back.

At the time, the decision looked risky, but Cleveland has been vindicated. Shaw sported a 4.92 FIP in his first year with the Colorado Rockies. All of the mileage he put on his right arm with the Indians may be catching up with him.

Cleveland appears to be taking the same approach with Allen.

The Angels, on the other hand, are counting on a return to form from the seven-year veteran. In order for that to happen, Allen may need to change his approach on the mound, something he can discuss in spring training with Brad Ausmus and pitching coach Doug White.

Allen will almost certainly open the 2019 season as Los Angeles' closer. Nine different pitchers recorded a save for the team, and last year's team leader in saves, Blake Parker, signed a one-year, $1.8 million deal with the Minnesota Twins.

For all of his faults, Allen addresses a clear need for the Angels, and Los Angeles needs to do everything it can to capitalize on the two years in which Mike Trout is still under contract.

Stats are courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

The Los Angeles Angels are reportedly nearing a deal that will keep them at Angel Stadium in Anaheim through the 2020 season.

Per Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu will introduce the proposed lease agreement during the Anaheim City Council meeting on Jan. 15.