The deal between the Angels and Mike Trout was a long-time in the making. Trout likes the organization and the direction the front office is taking. The free agency experience of others also played a role:

In the months leading up to his contract agreement, Trout considered his options.

He could wait out the end of his previous six-year contract and hit free agency, as he’d seen so many of his friends around the game do. Or he could forgo the open market, save himself the heartache of waiting around for the best offer, and take the safe bet.

He saw the way other players were treated in free agency, frozen out by teams hesitant to pull triggers on long-term investments. He spoke with Harper and Manny Machado, two of the top free agents entering the 2019 season, and became disheartened by their experiences. Neither signed with their respective clubs — Machado with the San Diego Padres and Harper with the Phillies — until spring training had already started.

“It drew a red flag for me,” Trout said.

LATimes.com

Teams are better off signing players they control. They already know the player inside out, they already established a fan base, they are going to save money. By making free agency difficult for players, management may be pushing them into in-house, long-term deals.

Of course, they are losing out on the hype value. Both San Diego and Philadelphia saw ticket sales jump after their major signings. Bringing in a big star gets the fans excited in a way that keeping a big star doesn’t. There is excitement to the bidding. Usually, the off-season is just as engaging as the regular season, but the last two years that was not so. While there is a downside to wasting money on big contracts, the publicity generated by the chase is good for the game. George Steinbrenner understood that, and it’s a lesson the game should remember.