By Alex Kurtz, Sports Editor
If you ask any baseball fan in America who the best active baseball player is, most of them would have the same answer: Mike Trout.
The Los Angeles Angels superstar outfielder has the tool set of a Swiss-Army knife but each one is as a refined as an aged Italian wine. He is a true generational talent on his way to a spot in Cooperstown, and when he decides to hang up his cleats, he will have earned his Angel wings.
On Tuesday, March 19, Trout signed the largest contract in MLB history when he agreed to a ludicrous 12-year deal that will pay the superstar 430 million dollars over that time. The deal is around 30 percent larger than the contract Bryce Harper signed on March 2 with the Phillies.
Many fans were saddened to learn that the best player in baseball would never have the chance to hit the open market, especially Philadelphia fans. Trout grew up as a Phillies fan in nearby Millville, N.J. and has been linked to the team and free agency for awhile now.
Some however, expressed anger towards the superstar, blatantly exclaiming that he will never win a ring now and that he is ruining his own career.
Those fans could not be more wrong. In an age where super teams run amuck in other sports, Trout decided to stay loyal to his team and fanbase in Los Angeles instead of joining a powerhouse to compete for a ring.
Playing with the same team for an entire career is tough, especially when that team is one of the worst in the division. The best example I can give is Joe Thomas, who spent his entire career with the Cleveland Browns. If he moved to another team and won a championship or two, he might be the best offensive tackle to every play football. Yet he stayed in Cleveland, and when he finally retired, the whole league paid respect to a true football legend.
Trout will command that same amount of respect when it comes time to call it quits. He may not win a ring, but in an age where loyalty is usually served as a cold slap to the faces of cities and fans, his resigning is a ray of pure Los Angeles sunshine.
