Advice to Angels: Pay Trout Now

The Angels bumped up Mike Trout’s contract for this upcoming season to $1 million. Seems like a small price to pay for the best overall player in the game.

In just two and a quarter seasons at the major league level, Trout has a career .314 average. In his two full seasons, he’s hit .326 and .323. He’s stolen 86 bases. He’s hit 72 doubles, 62 home runs and 17 triples since being called up at the end of the 2011 season.

He plays great outfield defense in center and left. He’s only 22 years old.

He won the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year. He’s finished second in MVP voting in each of the last two seasons.

Miguel Cabrera is still the best hitter, but Mike Trout is the game’s best player.

The Angels did him a nice solid in giving him this raise before he hits his first arbitration year. Trout won’t become a free agent until after the 2017 season, but he’s likely to see major raises if he goes through the arbitration process that he’s eligible for next year.

The Angels need to sign him to a big deal, now. Buy out his arbitration years and his first few years of free agency.

Baseball contracts are so lucrative now that every year you wait, the price goes up and up.

Get the deal done now. Keep him around for a long time. This is the cheapest chance you will ever have to land the best player in the game.