Angels and Mike Trout reach 12-year, $430 million extension

Mike Trout has reached a beast of the deal with the Angels. To avoid burying the lede, it is a 12-year, $430 million contract extension.

For the first few months of the 2018-19 MLB offseason, Free Agency was relatively dormant. The two biggest superstars on the market–Manny Machado and Bryce Harper–remained unsigned, and most of the winter discussions seemed to focus on the growing tension between the league and the MLBPA.

But Machado found a home with the Padres in late-February, and Harper followed about a week later when he reached a deal with the Phillies. Both players received at least $300 million, with Harper getting a record-breaking $330 million in guaranteed money.

But while these two young superstars were thought to be at the pinnacle of offseason news, the Los Angeles Angels and superstar centerfielder Mike Trout dropped a bombshell on Tuesday morning.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Angels and Trout are finalizing a 12-year contract worth at least $430 million, making Trout the highest paid player in the history of the game in terms of guaranteed money as well as AAV:

BREAKING: Star center fielder Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels are finalizing a record-breaking 12-year contract worth more than $430 million, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Details: https://t.co/bROnnC11Uh

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 19, 2019

Trout was set to become a free agent after the 2020 season, and had initially told the organization that he would not discuss an extension during Spring Training or the regular season. But after the signings of Harper and Machado to record deals, the Angels knew they had to lock up the best player of the generation.

Still just 27 years old, Trout is already a two-time American League MVP and has finished in the top four of the MVP voting in each of his seven years in the league.

Trout has also lead the majors in fWAR six times, and his 64.2 fWAR value between 2012 and 2018 is nearly 19 wins higher than the next-closest value of 45.4 earned by Giants catcher Buster Posey.

The Angels front office had grown increasingly aggressive in their attempts to reach an extension with Trout in the past few weeks, and now they have their centerpiece for the rest of his career.