Mike Trout's relentless quest to get even better

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Mike Trout wanted to see the numbers.

The game's best all-around player began 2018 with his mind set on turning himself into an elite defensive center fielder, a distinction that continually eluded him. He wanted to know what the advanced stats had to say about his first step, and he wanted to compare it to that of Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Kiermaier and Byron Buxton -- the best of the best.

The Nationals are just one of the teams sorting out their winter priorities as they decide whether Bryce Harper is part of their future.

On one afternoon in late February, Trout sat in a conference room at the team's spring training facility in Arizona with a handful of Los Angeles…