ESPN: Angels Wasting the Best Years of Mike Trout

[Jay]

If the average age of a rookie is 24 then yes, it would follow that the best years would come after that.

[Pujols4MVP]

This team is the Philadelphia Flyers of MLB. Hamilton Contract = the Bryzgalov contract.

[xboom28x]

This writer is assuming Trout has peaked. I beg to differ. Every year to this point, Trout has improved an area of his game. I don't see how the next 5 seasons would be any different.

 

Is 2016 a dump of a season... it's appearing that way on paper. Are the next 5 years of Trout's career looking the same as 2016? Absolutely not.

[seenoevil]

Harper is getting taken care of,angels are going to run a super star out of town

[bloodbrother]

It's likely that Trout has peaked already and will sustain this performance until he starts to gradually decline.

[xboom28x]

It's likely that Trout has peaked already and will sustain this performance until he starts to gradually decline.

 

I disagree... I think he has a few multiple .300 seasons in store. Maybe even a batting title.

[Turd Ferguson]

I disagree... I think he has a few multiple .300 seasons in store. Maybe even a batting title

 

The problem is that he has really no one hitting behind him. Why pitch to him?

[Stradling]

Harper is getting taken care of,angels are going to run a super star out of town

How exactly is he being taken care of? Harper had a player strangle him in the dugout on national tv last September. The guy who attacked him was one of two possible closers for the team. What did the team do, they traded the other guy. Give me a break that Harper is being taken care of. Which player is sitting on $150 million contract? Not to mention Boras is Harper's agent, so even if the Nationals were taking care of him, he is probably going to the highest bidder regardless.

[bloodbrother]

I disagree... I think he has a few multiple .300 seasons in store. Maybe even a batting title.

 

He's already had a few .300 seasons though so it's not like it's something he hasn't done.

[xboom28x]

The problem is that he has really no one hitting behind him. Why pitch to him?

 

Currently he doesn't. Once the dead weight is off the books, a trigger could be pulled before Trout's prime years are over to get someone to protect him in the order.

[xboom28x]

He's already had a few .300 seasons though so it's not like it's something he hasn't done.

 

He's a triple crown threat. I feel he is capable of a couple of Miguel Cabrera type years in his late 20's early 30s. The point being, he hasn't peaked in my opinion.

[Stradling]

The problem is that he has really no one hitting behind him. Why pitch to him?

Why pitch to him last year? He got a total of 14 IBB, or 4 more than the stiff hitting behind him. When you are the best player in the league there is not reason to ever pitch to you. No one outside of Miggy would be a reason to pitch to Trout.

[gurn67]

By the way, the American League MVP got intentionally walked ZERO times last season. That's called protection in the lineup.

Edited February 1, 2016 by gurn67

[Tyler]

This past season was the first Trout cracked 40 HR. He was on pace for a very special season until he got injured. He had finally figured out that inside high fastball. I look for him to cut down on the strikeouts, increase the walks, hit 40 HR, steal 20, and drive in 110 guys. In other words, Trout has not had his best years yet.

[Tank]

The Angels are in a nice position right now. They are talented, have depth, some payroll flexibility, and alot of money coming off after this upcoming season. 

 

you don't happen to work for theonion.com, do you?

[AngelsLakersFan]

The sad thing is, if you look at the structure of the deal, the Pujols contract hasn't even hurt us yet. No one expected Trout to become the player he's become, and yet here we are. The talk of wasted money is overstated, between Trout, Pujols, Hamilton, Weaver and Wilson we have done well. The problem is that the talent level of the organization has dropped so low that we have not been able to maintain the success you would expect from our payroll.

 

With the current state of the farm system this will probably only get worse. It has been a huge failure on the part of the front office for not realizing the amount of money it would require to maintain a winning team without investing in the organization as a whole, while simultaneously being unwilling to change course even in the sight of indisputable failure.

[Blarg]

This certainly has been the case so far during the Trout era. First 5 years(well 4 full years) and only 1 playoff appearance and 0 playoff wins to show for it. They have 5 more years left to change that.

You are right. Trout needs to play better in the playoffs.

[Blarg]

Harper is getting taken care of,angels are going to run a super star out of town

What exactly is Harper's contract details that he is so taken care of?

[QuinlansMinion]

Oh well. Its partially Trouts fault for signing an extension too soon.  He could have just hit the open market the second he becomes a free agent, and still gotten an insane deal while also going to a team that gives him the best chance of winning.  

 

What incentive do the Angels (Arte) have to build a winner now?  Trout is locked in for a few more years.  Guaranteed profits for Arte which gives him the flexibility to not spend another dime and cheap out on everything he knows how.  Trout has no leverage to try and force Arte's hand at building a winner.  Hes going to be Arte's cash cow for a while and when the day comes that his contract is close to expiring, maybe then Arte will get serious about building a contender.  

[Blarg]

Initially Trout was looking for a ten year contract which means he was probably pretty satisfied playing for the team that drafted him.

[QuinlansMinion]

Initially Trout was looking for a ten year contract which means he was probably pretty satisfied playing for the team that drafted him.

 

I guess hes satisfied with losing then?

[QuinlansMinion]

Keep in mind I firmly believe that one really good impact bat this offseason would have made the Angels a serious contender.  We have yet to see what Trout can do with lineup protection.  Cespedes or Upton could have really done great things for our lineup.  

 

Can you imagine if Trout and Donaldson switched places?  It wouldnt even be fair.  

[gurn67]

"Oh well. Its partially Trouts fault for signing an extension too soon."

 

Ask Ian Desmond if Trout signed an extension too soon. He'll give you 107,000,000 reasons why it was a good idea.

[QuinlansMinion]

"Oh well. Its partially Trouts fault for signing an extension too soon."

 

Ask Ian Desmond if Trout signed an extension too soon. He'll give you 107,000,000 reasons why it was a good idea.

 

Trout isnt Ian Desmond.  And that was a horrible analogy. 

[HeavenlyHalos]

What exactly is Harper's contract details that he is so taken care of?

 

I think he is likely referring to the team built around him. Of course, the Angels tried to do that as well but most people will ignore that. And yes, I agree that the Angels should have signed one of the top LF options this year in a deep FA class and have no idea why Moreno has decided to not go over the tax with the expiring contracts after this season. Hopefully, this gets rid of the whole "not my money" and "it hasn't prevented us from signing anyone in the past" bullshit rhetoric a lot of people liked to throw out in the past. It most certainly affected the way we viewed free agency this offseason.