Moreno (l) can use Trout's guaranteed long term presence to sell and promote the Angels brandGETTY IMAGES
Angels CF Mike Trout's new 12-year, $430M extension is the team's "biggest and most surprising victory" since its '02 World Series title, and it is a "huge win" for Owner Arte Moreno, according to Bill Plaschke of the L.A. TIMES. This is "pretty much the biggest statement in Angels franchise history." Moreno "knows that the market requires big stars, and Trout is easily his biggest" (L.A. TIMES, 3/20). SI.com's Tom Verducci wrote Moreno is "never shy about plowing money back into the team" (SI.com, 3/19). THE ATHLETIC's Jonah Keri wrote if Moreno were to put the Angels on the market, having Trout on board "would pump up the value to prospective buyers even more, making a purchase price" of $2B or more a "virtual lock." Additionally, Moreno "can use Trout as his biggest bargaining chip to sell everything" from ballpark naming rights to merchandise (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/19). CBSSPORTS.com's Mike Axisa wrote the Angels now "know Trout is locked up and they can build around him going forward" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/19). In Philadelphia, Scott Lauber writes if the Angels had allowed Trout to "walk as a free agent or traded him before he reached the open market, it would’ve been akin to the Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/20).
WINNING TIME: THE ATHLETIC's Ken Rosenthal wrote Moreno is the "biggest winner besides Trout, operating from a position of strength for years to come." That is "not to say Moreno will escape long-term scrutiny," as he "surely will not want to be the owner who had the best player of his generation through his prime and never won a World Series" (THEATHLETIC.com, 3/19). Rosenthal said, “This is a commitment by the organization to build around Trout. They’re not going to let him sit there and just waste away, they’re going to try to win” (“High Heat,” MLB Network, 3/19). ESPN's Jeff Passan: “While Trout is making a huge average annual value, it is not the type of thing, if the Angels play it correctly, that’s going to preclude them from going out and putting a championship team on the field” (“OTL,” ESPN, 3/19). CBS Sports' Adam Schein: "Now it's incumbent upon the Angels to be better and relevant and give Mike Trout the October platform he deserves" (“Time to Schein,” CBSSN, 3/19).
KNOW YOUR WORTH: USA TODAY's Gabe Lacques wrote the "greatest player of his generation -- perhaps any generation -- will be paid like it." Trout is "as close to the Mays of his generation as we’ll get" (USATODAY.com, 3/19). In California, Jim Alexander writes there is "justice because the best player in baseball should also be the highest paid" (Riverside PRESS ENTERPRISE, 3/20). THE RINGER's Ben Lindbergh wrote the "surprising thing about the terms of this contract is that Trout won’t be making more" (THERINGER.com, 3/19). In DC, Dave Sheinin writes if anything, the "best player in the game" remains "vastly underpaid relative to his performance value" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/20).
STAR POWER? In N.Y., Kepner & Draper write Trout has a "limited ability to earn money outside the game," as baseball players "typically aren’t as well-known nationally or internationally as their counterparts in other major sports." Trout does have endorsement deals with Rawlings, Nike and others, and in '14 became the "first baseball player since Ken Griffey Jr. to get a Nike signature cleat." Trout "earns an estimated" $2.5M from endorsements annually (N.Y. TIMES, 3/20). The Boston Globe’s Bob Ryan: “If he’s going to get paid all this money, he’s got to be more of a public figure. He can't be shrinking in the back” (“Around the Horn,” ESPN, 3/19). MLB Network's John Smoltz: "They want him to be out in front, they want him to be the face of baseball, and that's not his personality" (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 3/19). CBS Sports' Schein: "Every time Trout is playing on the East Coast, it should be flooded with attention on social media for the millennials, for the kids on the MLB accounts” (“Time to Schein,” CBSSN, 3/19).
OUT OF SIGHT: USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale noted Trout was "scheduled to be out of the lineup" for Rockies-Angels yesterday, but after news of the extension leaked, the Angels "advised him to completely stay away from the complex" (USATODAY.com, 3/19).
