MLB: Who’s the best player in 2019

With the massive MLB contracts handed out in the past week, two of the best players who are not yet free agents have become the new topics of conversation.

These two outstanding MLB players both enter free agency in 2021 and both are set to get their own massive contracts.

Mookie Betts and Mike Trout are already set to make serious money in 2019 and 2020. The Angels are set to pay Trout $34 million in both seasons. Betts is still in arbitration, but the Red Sox will pay him $20 million in 2019. His 2020 salary has yet to be set.

There is no doubt that Trout and Betts are both generational players. Trout has often been compared to Mickey Mantle with his ability to hit for power, run with speed, and field with acrobatic agility.

Betts also has notable comparisons, with one in particular: Ken Griffey, Jr. But, there is something extra special about Betts – his ability to succeed in other athletic adventures.

In an off-season (and spring training) filled with record-setting deals, both Mike and Mookie have set their own records. When the Red Sox gave Betts $20 million in arbitration on January 11, the contract set a new record. That was later broken 20 days later by the Colorado Rockies when they signed Nolan Arenado for $26 million.

Trout will make the most money in 2019, with his $34 million salary. But, in 2020, Arenado will top that with $35 million.

However, once the 2020 season is over, all bets are on as the predictions are already rolling in about where they will play and how much they will be paid. In fact, experts like Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio are already sharing their predictions:

Along with the questions about where they will go and what they will be paid, conversations are already starting about who is better? Let’s take a good look at the two players who play their games on opposite sides of the country.