In college, professors tell their students that jobs are hard to come by and then everybody needs to develop a trait that makes them stand out. This will ensure that a student can become employed by the time they graduate from school, making a steady income in the process. Most people would be satisfied or proud with a yearly salary of $100,000, however, there are some who’s talents can make them up to $100,000….daily.
This morning, MLB.com’s Jeff Passan reported that the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have agreed to the largest contract in the history of professional sports with the one man who most people wouldn’t mind giving this contract to, in Mike Trout. The deal is for 12 years, and $430 million dollars, meaning that Mike Trout didn’t even have to test free agency to blow Manny Machado and Bryce Harper out of the water.
This deal will surely lock up Trout for the remainder of his big-league career, as he will most likely be in Angels red for his entire career. The 2-Time MVP will be making $98,173.52 per day and $221,000 per game with no-opt outs over the next decade and a half, bringing his career earnings to total a whopping $577.85 million, making him, by far, the highest paid athlete in Major American Sports and I don’t think anybody is out to criticize the Angels for their blockbuster move.
When the Padres signed Manny Machado to a 10 Year/$300 Million dollar contract back in February, many considered the move to be bold by San Diego, considering they were banking on Machado to be great for a decade after the remarks he made in the postseason with the Dodgers only 6 months ago.
At the time, Manny became the highest paid athlete in professional sports, that was until about two weeks later, when the Phillies gave Bryce Harper the keys to the city of Philadelphia, by signing him to a 13 Year/$330 Million dollar contract with no-opt outs. Many experts look at Harper’s deal and think the Phillies came out winners, considering they are only paying the slugger $25 million per season, while many others believe that the Phillies will soon regret this deal, considering Harper’s injury past.
Regardless of what anybody thought of the deal, Bryce Harper and Scott Boras were sitting on their thrones as kings, with the highest contract in North American Sports history. Mike Trout said, “Hold my beer.”
Making $100,000 per year is a deal that many Americans would take in this society, and Mike Trout is going to make nearly $100,000 on a daily basis, making many wonder what they did wrong in their lives. I for one, believe as a 20-year old college student, that I will never “eeeever” make $100,000 on a daily basis as a writer, podcaster or potential broadcaster, which is a scam, considering broadcasters travel on the road with the team for seven months as well, right?
Though, if Mike Trout is going to be in Anaheim (or Long Beach) for the rest of his career, the Halos better move quick and put together a contender for arguably the greatest player of this generation, as Trout’s elite career will only be solidified with a World Series title under his belt.
Angels Owner, Arte Moreno, has done a solid job bringing in a young core in Mike Trout, Andrelton Simmons, Shohei Ohtani, and Kole Calhoun, however, look for the Halos to add some elite pitching depth over the next years as the combination of Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney and Matt Harvey doesn’t exactly smell like American League West Champions to me.
Provided Ohtani can return to form on the mound next season, the Angels will still need to add some arms if they want to contend with the likes of Houston and Oakland. With Dallas Keuchel still on the market just 2 weeks before Opening Day, it only makes sense for the Angels to at least entertain the idea of reaching an agreement with the former CY Young Award winner. Also, with Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer seemingly available this summer and potentially next offseason, don’t be too surprised if the Angels throw themselves in the mix, looking to give Trout and the fans a reason to look forward to the future of the Angels organization.
The Angels may also be on the move over the next decade and a half, as it seems that Arte Moreno is interested in bringing the Halos over to Long Beach, California after the club expressed interest in a waterfront stadium. This would bring the Halos back to Los Angeles County, as they are only under their lease with the city of Anaheim through the 2020 season.
A move to Long Beach could mean big moves for Arte’s Angels, as the Angels could potentially become the Long Beach Angels of Los Angeles after nearly two decades as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, while also bringing in big-name talents to play with Mike Trout, with names like Aaron Judge to be available in a few years.
As much as it pains me to say, a potential Aaron Judge signing does not seem out of play for the Angels, considering Judge is a Lindon, California native and has most of his family still residing in the state of California. A lineup with Trout, Judge, Simmons and Ohtani could spell for some major trouble in the American League West down the road, as Arte Moreno will surely be looking to form the next great dynasty in the form of the Angels over the next 5-10 seasons, since they have not won a World Series championship in 17 years (2002).
Call me crazy, but the ideas of Mike Trout making nearly $100,000 per day and Aaron Judge dawning Angels red in the next five seasons, as well as a potential move to a beautiful waterfront stadium in Long Beach, doesn’t seem too far fetched (sorry Yankees fans).
