The climax of an offseason spent contemplating and debating the value of some of baseball’s biggest stars, as it turns out, was not the record-setting free agent contracts signed last month by Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but what reportedly came Tuesday: a massive extension for Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout that zoomed past those other deals like a 600-foot home run.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Trout’s extension is worth $430 million over 12 years — exactly $100 million more than the 13-year, $330 million deal Harper signed March 2 with the Philadelphia Phillies, which previously stood as the largest in North American sports history.