When is Mike Trout a free agent? Breaking down Angels contract and when he can leave L.A.
Mike Trout was in the spotlight more than ever during the World Baseball Classic, and the Team USA captain didn’t disappoint.
Trout posted a .318/.444/.591 slash in the global exhibition with a home run, seven RBI and a whopping five walks. He was a driving force behind Team USA’s success and will now look to help them secure a title win against Japan.
But Trout didn’t just help his team succeed on the field; he also enjoys the World Baseball Classic as a whole.
“This is that [most fun] Experience I had in baseball to represent your country,” Trout said after Team USA beat Colombia, per ESPN. “It was a great time. Being part of this atmosphere means a lot to me. I knew it would be a fun time to go inside. I never thought it would be so much fun.”
As Trout enjoyed participating in the tournament, fans enjoyed watching him play. The slugger doesn’t get as much national attention as the best player in his sport would normally get, as the Angels have only made the playoffs once in his 12 seasons.
But now Trout’s fan club is growing and many are wondering if their favorite team could take over Trout when he soon becomes a free agent.
So what is Trout’s status with the Angels and when might he break free? Here’s what you should know about the terms of his contract, which is the largest agreement ever signed by an MLB player.
MORE: Who is Captain America? Mike Trout leads the unofficial rotating line-up of Team USA at the WBC
When is Mike Trout a free agent?
Mike Trout becomes a free agent after the 2030 MLB season. That means he can sign with another MLB club for the first time ahead of the 2031 MLB season.
Trout will turn 39 during the 2030 campaign. If the MVP plays up the length of his contract in Los Angeles, he will have played chunks of 20 seasons with the Angels, having first broken into the big leagues with them in 2011 as a 19-year-old.
So it will be a long time before Trout hits the open market. And when his mega deal with the Angels ends, he will probably be at the end of his career.
With that in mind, baseball fans who long for Trout will be wondering if there’s any way he could get out of his massive contract with the Angels and join another team. His contract dictates that this won’t necessarily be the easiest thing to do.
MORE: How Kyle Schwarber kicked off Team USA’s WBC salute celebration
Contract with Mike Trout
Trout signed a massive contract extension with the Angels on March 20, 2019. The deal was a 12 years, $426 million pact, which was then the largest in the history of North American sports.
Since then, Patrick Mahomes’ $450 million contract with the Chiefs has surpassed Trout’s deal, but the Angels star remains the highest-paid player in baseball history by total contract value.
Below is a brief overview of the structure of Trout’s contract, according to Spotrac.com:
- length: 12 years
- Value: 426 million dollars
- Signing Bonus: 20 million dollars
- Average annual value: $35,541,667
Trout’s contract also includes incentives that pay him $50,000 for winning the All-Star Game MVP, $100,000 for winning a Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, or ALCS MVP, and $500,000 for winning the AL MVP . The Angels also included a home game suite and Diamond Club seats as part of the package.
But what is the most important part of the contract? Trout has a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs are included. So as long as Trout stays happy in Los Angeles, he can stay there.
And if he gets unhappy and wants to play somewhere else, he can control where he plays next.
MORE: When and where will the next World Baseball Classic be played?
Mike Trout stats
Of course, if Trout ever decided to leave Los Angeles, the Angels would get a huge haul for him. He is one of the best players in baseball since joining the league as he has won three MVPs, been named Rookie of the Year and has nine Silver Sluggers to his name.
Trout also led the league in on-base percentage four times, slugging three times, and bases stolen once in 2012. He has hit at least 30 home runs in seven of his 12 MLB seasons.
How good were Trout’s stats? Here’s a breakdown of his career so far with the Angels.
| Stat | In total |
| batting average | .303 |
| On-Base Percentage | .415 |
| Hit | .587 |
| OPS | 1,002 |
| OPS+ | 176 |
| home runs | 350 |
| steals | 204 |
By the looks of it, Trout is the active career leader in on-base percentage, slugging, OPS, and OPS+, and he should only build on those numbers if he can stay healthy.
As for fielding, Trout has a career fielding percentage of .994. He was named Wilson’s Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012 season, but he has never won a Gold Glove while playing in midfield, his primary position.
And overall, Trout is on track to become one of the greatest players in MLB history. He has a WAR of 82.4 and ranked first in that category among position players in 2012-16. He currently ranks 37th all-time in WAR according to the Baseball Reference, just ahead of Rod Carew and just behind Ken Griffey Jr.
Every player before Trout on the career WAR list except for Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols who just retired is in the Hall of Fame. Trout is well on his way to becoming anchored in Cooperstown, with so much of his career still to play.