It may have sped up negotiations between Trout and the Los Angeles Angels, though, because the club announced this before its Freeway Series game against the Dodgers on Friday night:
Trout, 22, will receive $144.5 million over the life of the deal, which begins in 2015, according to the Los Angeles Times' Bill Shaikin.
Earlier reports put the money in the $150 million range. Trout will make $1 million this season.
Trout also received full no-trade protection.
Regardless of the number, the contract obliterates records for average annual value for a player with such little service time as Trout (two years, 70 days). The pact buys out all three years of the outfielder's arbitration eligibility and the first three years of his free-agent eligibility.
Many observers believe Trout sold himself short on this contract, given the Cabrera comp and the belief that Trout is the superior overall player. He has been better than Cabrera in terms of WAR over the past two seasons (19.7 to 14.7, according to baseball-reference.com), even though Cabrera won the American League MVP award in 2012 and 2013.
MORE: Details of Miggy’s megadeal
