Mar 11, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder
Mike Trout(27) warms up before facing the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
According to a report from Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com, the Los Angeles Angels and star outfielder Mike Trout are close to a six-year contract extension worth $144.5 million. The deal would come on the heels of Miguel Cabrera‘s record-breaking deal with the Detroit Tigers, which was announced earlier today.
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times also reports that the team is expected to announce the extension tomorrow.
Trout, just 22 years old, has finished second to Cabrera in American League MVP balloting each of the past two seasons, while establishing himself as the best five-tool player in the game today.
In 1,490 career plate appearances over the past three seasons, the former 25th overall pick of the Angels boasts a .314/.404/.544 line to go along with averaging 41 stolen bases per 162 games. He drove in a career-best 97 runs last season for Los Angeles, despite the team’s struggles.
In 2013, Trout narrowly missed joining the 30-30 club for the second straight season, swiping 33 bases in a career-high 157 games, but falling three home runs shy of 30. The year prior, he hit 30 home runs and swiped 49 bases, en route to the AL Rookie of the Year Award, the first of his back-to-back All-Star nods and his consecutive Silver Slugger awards.
The deal seems to make a great deal of sense for both sides, as Trout will be able to land another massive deal entering the prime of his career at age 29, while the Angels lock him up for the bulk of the next decade. It was widely speculated that the two sides would get something done in recent weeks, and it appears the talks have finally come to fruition in recent days.