Mike Trout has been in the headlines quite a bit this offseason, his first spring training following an MVP-caliber rookie campaign. Currently, reports are swirling that Trout is not pleased with the 6.25 percent raise he received that pushes his salary to $510,000.
Miguel Cabrera, the man who bested Trout in the MVP race by winning the Triple Crown, will make $21 million this year. Most would argue that Cabrera is not worth $20 million more than Trout. His agent, Craig Landis, made clear in a statement that neither he nor his client felt appreciated by the Angels' offer. "In my opinion," Landis said in a statement, "this contract falls well short of a 'fair' contract and I have voiced this to the Angels throughout the process."
Trout batted .326 last season with 30 home runs, 83 RBI, 49 stolen bases and 129 runs scored. According to Fangraphs.com, he was worth 10 wins above replacement, the most in all of baseball and about three more than Cabrera.
Landis' statement also pulled back the curtain on Trout's annoyance about being shifted to left field; "As when he learned he would not be the team's primary center fielder for the upcoming season, Mike will put the disappointment behind him and focus on helping the Angels reach their goal of winning the 2013 World Series."
While Trout was one of the top centerfielders in baseball-he posted a an 11.4 UZR (10.6 in center field alone), he is moving over to accommodate Peter Bourjos who posted an insane 15.9 UZR while playing center field exclusively. Trout has been trying to downplay the issue, telling reporters on Sunday that he is just happy to be in the lineup.
He has had to deal with another controversy this spring-a reported weight gain of 30 pounds. He dispelled that notion in a radio interview with Mike Gill of The Sports Bash. "People say I gained 30 or 40 pounds, they got a wrong answer," Trout told Gill. "I came into camp like eight pounds over what I played at last year. I ended the year last year 231, and I came in to camp like 240. I'm down to like 235 now.
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