The Angels and Mike Trout have agreed to a record-setting 12-year deal worth more than $430 million, a source told MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi on Tuesday. ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report the deal, which the Angels have not confirmed.Trout, 27, was eligible to become a free agent after the 2020 season upon the completion of his current six-year, $144.5 million deal. This new contract reportedly would add 10 years to his existing deal, making it 12 years total. There will be no opt-out clause in the deal, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times. Trout’s would be the first $400 million contract in Major League history, surpassing the total value of the 13-year, $330 million contract Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies earlier this month. It also will be the third record-setting contract signed this offseason. Previously there had been just one $300 million contract -- Giancarlo Stanton’s 13-year, $325 million extension signed in November 2014 when he was with the Marlins.
When Manny Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres in February, it was the first $300 million contract given to a free agent. Then Harper signed his, signifying the most years given to a free agent and the largest contract by total value in North American professional sports history.But now Trout’s deal takes the distinction of having most total value. With an average annual value of $35.83 million, it also will have the largest average annual value of any MLB contract, surpassing Zack Greinke’s $34.4 million a per year in his current deal with the D-backs.Trout, a native of Millville, N.J., is a noted Philadelphia sports fan and Harper had been vocal about wanting to recruit Trout to sign with the Phillies after the 2020 season. But Trout is comfortable in Southern California and has enjoyed his time with the Angels, although they've made it to the postseason just once in his eight-year career.Reaction around the big leagues was swift and positive, as players were happy to see the consensus best player in baseball get a record-setting extension."It's pretty cool to see that," Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said. "He deserves every penny of it and more. I mean, the guy's been the best player in baseball. He's probably one of the best baseball players ever. I don't even think there's anything to question about him signing that deal. He obviously likes it in L.A. And now he's there forever. That's pretty cool. I'm happy for him.""If there is somebody who deserves it and has earned it, it's him," Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus said. "He is the only one everybody will say, 'He deserves it.' Anyone who comments in a negative way doesn't know baseball. He is the best player in the game. He shows up every year and you can always say the same thing about him. He is a humble person who plays the game the right way. He is the face of baseball."Said Rangers outfielder Joey Gallo: "He deserves it. If anybody deserves it, it’s him. You always like to see guys get paid what they are worth. It’s great for him and it’s great for the game.”Trout, taken with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2009 Draft out of Millville Senior High School, won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 2012, finishing second in the balloting for AL MVP that year. He also finished second in the voting for MVP in '13, '15 and '18, while winning it in '14 and '16 and finishing fourth in '17. He enters the season with 64.3 career WAR, already 99th all-time among position players and more than numerous Hall of Famers.Rhett Bollinger /MLB.com
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