Mike Trout’s $144.5 million extension includes no-trade provision, luxury suite usage

The Los Angeles Angels signed superstar Mike Trout to an unprecedented extension on Friday night. Even given the fact that he landed a six-year, $144.5 million extension, many people feel that he gave the Angels a huge discount and that he is underpaid relative to his actual value.

Take, for example, the following thoughts from Dave Cameron of FanGraphs:

"This doesn’t come anywhere near Trout’s value, and Trout has left an enormous amount of money on the table. Even if his goal was to reach free agency again and sign a second monstrous contract, he still is worth so far more than the roughly $30 million per year he signed away three free agent years for.”"

To Cameron and others I would ask: does a no-trade provision change your feelings? No? How about the fact that Trout gets to use the luxury suite 20 games a season starting in 2015?

It’s comical, of course, because if Trout becomes the player we think he is going to become the Angels should probably be naming that luxury suite after Trout and giving it to him for all games, during his tenure and beyond. But hey, now he gets to hook his friends and family up 20 times a year starting next season, so that’s something, right?

Of course the no-trade provision would seem more noteworthy, but it truly is a formality. The Angels are getting such good value on this deal it is almost literally impossible to dream up an actual trade that they would seriously consider for the best player on the planet.