Los Angeles Angels: The LA Law with Mike Trout’s contract

The Los Angeles Angels will face the idea of losing one of their biggest stars. A new law suggests that Mike Trout could opt out of his contract.

The Los Angeles Angels struck a gold mine, selecting Mike Trout with the 25th pick in the 2009 MLB Draft. Since then, Trout’s growth is without question, becoming one of the most dominant forces in the game.

Furthermore, Trout is an all-around good guy. Throughout the brutal stretch of losses last season, there wasn’t a sound bite of him speaking ill of the team or management. The New Jersey native has a home in Anaheim. So why do so many want to see him in a different uniform?

Obviously, Mike Trout deserves to be on a team gearing towards a World Series appearance. However, with the Los Angeles Angels, that’s simply not the case. In fact, Los Angeles is in another rebuilding period. A period in which they have the worst farm system in the league. Plus, they are still eating the cost of Josh Hamilton.

An article from Fangraphs.com caused quite the stir yesterday. Nathaniel Grow wrote about a California law that would allow for Mike trout to opt out of his current contract. This is based on his seven years of employment with a California franchise.

So, in Trout’s case, because he was drafted in 2009, he could now choose to opt out due to a seven-year rule. A rule that states after seven years; regardless of the contract, a player can opt out and become a free agent.

The article further states that California legislature has considered eliminating the law specifically for the protection of professional athletes. However, the law has yet to be defeated. I assume this is because this law isn’t common knowledge.

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Nowhere in the article does Nathaniel Grow suggest that Trout should opt out of his contract. He is merely bringing this law to light and connecting in with the biggest name it applies to. In two years, you can have this exact same conversation with NBA guard Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers.

However, aside from all this, it’s no secret that some in the national media want to see Mike Trout in another uniform. In 2020, Trout could leave the Angels during free agency without backlash if the Angels haven’t improved by 2020. Although, 202 is still three years away and Trout’s prime could slip somewhat before that time. Some have even suggested that trading Mike Trout is an idea to improve the Angels dreaded farm system.

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Angels fans will have to sit back and enjoy having a player as coveted as Mike Trout. This type of noise isn’t going away until the Angels prove to be somewhat dominant in the AL West and the postseason. In fact, the Angels have been to the playoffs once in Mike Trout’s career. In 2014, the Angels were swept by the Kansas City Royals 3-0.

The Angels have begun making the moves to improve the team’s chances for this season. What’s problematic is the Angels don’t have the resources to upgrade the pitching staff at this moment. Injuries and aging pitchers have become the norm for the Angels starting rotation.

As far as Mike Trout and this unknown law are concerned, I wouldn’t expect for Trout to say anything on this matter.  If Trout chose to leave the Angels regarding an unknown law he would face a ton of backlash from Anaheim and most of the sports community. If you recall NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s decision to leave Oklahoma City, Trout could find himself in a similar situation if he left the Angels.

Just imagine the media storm that would be if Trout chose to leave Anaheim in light of an unknown law. While it may be fun to think about for some, it’s very unlikely to happen. Those who wish to see Trout in another uniform will either have to wait for him to be traded or the year 2020 when he becomes a free agent.

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