Los Angeles Angels: would Trout have gotten $500M in free agency?

Mike Trout could have been a free agent but he instead decided to sign a $426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels. So let’s look at how much he could’ve gotten.

Have these winter meetings been fun or what? After numerous people were complaining about how there is no action at the Winter Meetings, Scott Boras was able to sign his big three free agents to contracts in three consecutive days. But for this exercise let’s look at how much Los Angeles Angels star  Mike Trout could’ve gotten, as he could have been a free agent.

Gerrit Cole pitches only once every five days and will only pitch 35 times a year–at least in the regular season–but he still got $36 million a year from the New York Yankees.

If Cole was given over $320 million after two great years in Houston, then Trout would’ve gotten $500 million when he is the best player in the game by far.

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

Stephen Strasburg didn’t have nearly as many suitors as Cole did but the Nationals may have bid against themselves, as they gave Strasburg $245 million over 7 years. Anthony Rendon also got $245 million on Wednesday night from the Angels so he will be joining Trout in Anaheim.

With all of the big contracts being given out, and with all due respect to Cole and Strasburg, those two guys are pitchers and Mike Trout plays four times the amount of games that Cole plays and not to mention that Trout is the best player on the planet.

I would actually argue that he will be the best player ever when everything is all said and done.

In my opinion, Trout would have gotten half a billion dollars in free agency because he is just on another level than everyone else in the game. Strasburg probably got a contract increase of at least $40-$45 million with his postseason performance and the way that money is being handed out now teams would be giving Trout anything he wants.

Harper was given $330 million and a big aspect of that was because he can be the face of the organization, and although I know that Trout doesn’t have the flare Harper has, I think sales would go way up if Trout was on your team.

He has already won three MVP’s, has seven silver sluggers, and eight All-Star Game appearances. If he were to hit the market, I can’t even imagine how much of the off-season conversation would have been on him.

I am sure baseball fans wish that Trout would have hit the market because they would have gotten to see half of billion dollars given out to one of the best players to ever play the game.