The Angels and Mike Trout have agreed on a one-year deal worth $1 million for 2014, while the sides continue to discuss a multiyear deal.
Trout’s deal is the largest one-year deal ever for a player who is not yet eligible for arbitration, surpassing $900,000 deals earned by Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.
“It makes you feel good inside,” Trout said. “Makes you feel like they want you here. It means a lot.”
Trout would not comment on the prospects of a multiyear deal.
“This was a landmark,” general manager Jerry Dipoto said. “I think it’s fitting. Mike has earned that. We’re glad to provide that for him. He’s certainly been an extraordinary player and there’s no doubt that he’ll continue to be that.”
It is likely that any multiyear deal will now begin in 2015, which means it would not push the Angels over the Competitive Balance Tax threshold for 2014. They are currently about $15 million under the $189 million limit
Trout agreed to terms this year, while last year he was renewed. A renewal occurs when the player doesn’t agree, so the club essentially assigns him a salary.
The major league minimum is $500,000, so the Angels did not need to pay Trout any more than that. When they paid him just $510,000 last year, after his historic rookie of the year season, the club said it had a formula it used to calculate salaries for pre-arbitration players, and it was based more on service time than performance.
This year, though, the club broke from its policy.
“There are performances that force you to break a rule,” Dipoto said. “What Mike did for two consecutive years forced us to break a rule. There is nothing in the game that’s hard and fast. His performance certainly merited treating him different than the others.”
Trout said he was thankful the Angels extended for him.
“The Angels could have easily given me $550,000 or whatever, but they stepped up,” he said. “It makes you feel good inside.”
Trout could still be paid much more in 2014, though. If he does agree to a multiyear deal, even if the salary starts in 2015, he could be paid a signing bonus in 2014 that would not count against the CBT payroll.
If his multiyear deal changes his salary for 2014, though, it would count against the 2014 CBT payroll.
