Angels star Mike Trout testifies that he knew Eric Kay had a drug problem

Angels superstar Mike Trout on Tuesday morning said he knew team employee Eric Kay had a drug problem, but the pitcher Tyler Skaggs there was no evidence of drug use.

Trout, a three-time American League MVP, played for Angels his entire 15-year career and is under contract through the 2030 season. He was Skaggs' teammate from 2014 to 2019, when the left-handed pitcher died in a hotel room in Texas on July 1, 2019, after snorting a counterfeit oxycodone pill containing fentanyl, a powerful opioid.

Kay, former director of public relations for the Angels, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison after be convicted in 2022 about providing the pills that caused the Skaggs to overdose.

Skaggs' attorney, Daniel Dutko, asked Trout about his reaction when he learned that Skaggs had died the next day at a team meeting, according to court records.

“Cried,” Trout replied.

“You loved him like a brother,” the lawyer said as Trout nodded affirmatively. Trout added that he was not aware of Skaggs' drug use.

Skaggs' lawyer asked questions to get testimony from Trout that would humanize Skaggs and establish that he was a valued teammate and friend. Trout said he and Skaggs were roommates in 2010, when they were both 18 years old and playing for the Angels' affiliate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Trout, the Angels' highest-paid employee earning more than $37 million a year, attended Skaggs' wedding in 2018.

Neither Dutko nor Angels lawyer Todd Theodora asked Trout why he did not inform the team's executive or human resources department when he suspected Kay of using drugs.

Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Southlake, Texas, on July 1, 2019, before the Angels were scheduled to open their series against the Texas Rangers. In addition to the opioids, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner determined that Skaggs had a blood alcohol level of 0.12. An autopsy revealed that he died of asphyxia after aspiration of his own vomit and that his death was accidental.

Trout's testimony followed testimony from longtime Angels executives. Tim Mead and Tom Taylor. Kay reported to Meade for most of his 23-year career and worked closely with Taylor, the team's traveling secretary. Both men testified that they had no idea that Kay was addicted to opioids or that Kay was supplying Skaggs with drugs.

Skaggs' widow Carly Skaggs and parents Debra Hetman and Darrell Skaggs are seeking $118 million from the Angels in compensation for Skaggs' lost future earnings, as well as compensation for pain and suffering and punitive damages.

The Angels' announcement that longtime former major league catcher Kurt Suzuki had been hired as manager matched Trout's testimony.