$$ Mike Trout $$

Interesting column by Olney about Mike Trout's future paychecks.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/buster-olney/post/_/id/4107

One agent suggested a 12-year, $400M contract. Trout also stands to make between $15-30M during his arbitration years, if he's not locked up long-term before then.

Seems a lock that he obliterates A-Rod's deal.

What would you do if you were the Angels?

 

Unlike the last two big contracts the Angels have given out, paying Trout $33 million a year would probably be a GOOD investment.

 

If they're smart, they should try to lock him up now rather than let the Red Sox, Yankees or whoever bid up his price even more...

 

Having those other big contracts might push the Angels toward letting him go through arbitration the next couple years. To save a few bucks anyway. Until those big contracts can get paid off a little more.

 

Imagine what Mickey Mantle would have gotten on the open market.

 

I have long maintained that if there had been free agency, Ted Williams would've played for at least three different teams. His ego would've required always being the highest-paid player.

 

Even more than Dimaggio? Didn't he require that he always be introduced as baseball's greatest living player?

 

One thing about Mantle and DiMaggio, the economics of baseball in their day were even more distorted in favor of the Yankees (and the other NYC franchises) than they are today. About one-fourth of the teams were damn near broke on a yearly basis, which accounts for their 51-103 records year in and out. The 1930s were OOP's real baseball nightmare era. The Cardinals made money, the NYC teams did, and some years the Cubs did. Yawkey self-financed the Red Sox. Otherwise, baseball teams were very hand-to-mouth.

 

Because they've turned into such a clown show, it would be great if Arte Moreno decided he had been so burned by Wells/Pujols/Hamilton/etc. that he wasn't going to give big long-term contracts anymore, and he held firm with Trout on this.

 

No question things have gotten better and they continue to improve. The change in the posting rules is an example of that improvement.

The playing field still isn't close to level, but some rule changes have helped and the overall financial health of the game makes it moreso.

 

Mike Trout is every bit the player at this stage of his career as Mantle was at the same age.

 

By my count, the Dodgers, Reds, Phillies, A's, Braves, and Browns all had major financial problems at one point in the '30s, in which they could have easily gone bankrupt.