Mike Trout signs one-year deal with Angels

Outfielder Mike Trout signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. The contract is worth $1 million.

The Angels will avoid a luxury tax assessment this season with the deal. Trout and the Angels are in discussions about a six-year contract that would be worth $150 million. If that deal is reached, then the Angels can buy out Trout’s first three years of free agency and he can become a free agent when he turns 29, according to the Los Angeles Times, which was the first to report the signing. Trout’s contract is the largest pre-arbitration contract for a player. Ryan Howard’s $900,000 contract with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2007 was the largest before Trout's. Trout is eligible for salary arbitration next year.

Trout, 22, was called up from the minors early in the 2012 season. He hit .326 with 30 homeruns and 83 RBIs, and won AL Rookie of the Year that year. Last year he hit .323 with 27 homeruns and 97 RBIs, according to ESPN. Trout is one of four players to hit .320 with 50 homeruns and 200 runs scored in his first two seasons in the majors. Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and Albert Pujols are the only other players to do it.

Signing Trout is good news for the Angels because he is a good player. He finished second in voting for the American League Most Valuable Player in each of his first two seasons. It will be interesting to see if he gets the six-year contract with and Angels, and where he goes next year if he doesn’t.