The contract Bryce Harper signed with the Philadelphia Phillies has the baseball world buzzing.
The star outfielder signed a lucrative 13-year deal worth $330 million and has Harper staying in the City of Brotherly Love until he is 39 years old.
Of course, his signing should reverberate through the league, as a new gold standard has been set for star players on the open market. With several big names set to hit free agency in the coming years, Harper’s deal will be the bench mark to shoot for.
Among biggest names set to hit free agency soon is Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout.
Trout has two years left on his current contract, which pays him an average of $33.25 million a season. But according to a report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Angels have at least considered an extension that would lock up their center fielder long term, and make him the highest paid player in the sport.
“In recent weeks, the Los Angeles Angels at least considered offering Mike Trout a 10-year, $350 million extension,” Rosenthal writes. “Though it is unclear whether they followed through with an actual proposal, according to sources with knowledge of the club’s thinking.
“Trout, 27, has two years left on his current deal, each valued at $33.25 million. A 10-year extension would run from 2021 to 2030, his age 29 to 38 campaigns. Harper’s 13-year deal with the Phillies will expire after the ‘31 season, extending from age 26 to 38.”
It’s scary to think, because $35 million per year is an insane amount of money, but is that even enough?
Trout clearly has been one of the premiere players in baseball for a half decade, and with Harper, a former MVP coming off a down season, garnering $330 million, it’s easy to assume Trout could float into the uncharted waters of a $400 million deal.
Plus, it would be hard to blame Trout for at least exploring a change of scenery. Trout has played his entire eight-year career with the Angels, who have made the playoffs a grand total of once in his time there.
Thumbnail photo via Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports Images
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