There never was any doubt in Mike Trout’s mind that he wanted to remain in Los Angeles for the rest of his Major League Baseball career.
That now is a reality for the Angels star, who agreed to a monster extension worth $430 million that all but keeps him a member of the Halo’s until he’s ready to call it quits. But for Trout, he wanted to make sure every t was crossed and every i was dotted before the regular season began.
The 27-year-old told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya that he told the Angels he was going to “explore free agency” if something wasn’t worked out before Opening Day.
“If we hadn’t gotten a deal done it would have been tough for me. I obviously wanted to be here. I said I want to deal with it now,” he told Ardaya. “If not I’m gong to explore free agency. I didn’t want to go through the next few seasons thinking ‘Am I going to get a deal or not?’”
Trout added he noticed red flags when Bryce Harper and Manny Machado were on the free-agent market, and that was something he didn’t want to put himself through.
“I kind of saw what Bryce and Manny went through and it drew a red flag for me,” Trout said. “I talked to Manny and Bryce. It was a tough couple months in the offseason. They put it into perspective in my mind. I obviously want to be an Angel for life. That was a big key.
“I think if I waited two years, it wouldn’t have felt right moving to another team, going straight to a winning team,” he added. “Teams go through ups and down. I want to be a part of everything. Obviously I want to win.”
With a 12-year extension, it’s probably safe to say Trout indeed will be part of all the ups and downs, winning and losing, good seasons and bad seasons the Angels will have.
