Report: Angels plan to offer contract extension to Trout
In what is shaping up to be a pivotal offseason for the Los Angeles Angels, the club reportedly plans to offer a contract extension to their superstar center fielder Mike Trout, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Trout's current contract doesn't expire until after the 2020 season, having signed a six-year, $144.5-million extension prior to the 2014 season to avoid his arbitration-eligible years and three seasons worth of free agency. Trout is owed $33.25 million over each of the next two years. The 27-year-old accrued the six years of service time necessary to become a free agent prior to the current 2018 campaign.
The offer could be around $320 million over eight years, according to Rosenthal. If Trout's camp rejected the offer, general manager Billy Eppler and the rest of the front office could explore the possibility of a trade.
Despite having the three-time AL MVP still in his prime, the Angels are set to miss the postseason for the fourth straight year and sixth time since Trout's AL Rookie of the Year campaign in 2012. At 68-72, Los Angeles currently sits in fourth place in the AL West, though it does own a positive run differential.
With a declining Albert Pujols, who is still owed $87 million over the next three seasons, and an oft-injured starting rotation, which hasn't featured a pitcher with more than 200 innings pitched since Garrett Richards in 2015, the Angels find themselves in a precarious position. Heading into the 2019 season, in addition to pitching, Los Angeles will likely need to address holes at catcher, first base, and possibly the outfield. Even further, reports of longtime manager Mike Scioscia parting with the club surfaced earlier this year.
While Richards is set for free agency this offseason, the roster will stay ostensibly the same heading into 2019 and through 2020. However, along with Trout's contract expiring after 2020, the contracts of Andrelton Simmons, Zack Cozart, Justin Upton, Tyler Skaggs, and Matt Shoemaker are all set to come off the books.