Detroit Tigers to sign Justin Upton to six-year contract
By Tim Haberin
The Detroit Tigers will sign free agent outfielder Justin Upton to a six-year, $132.75 million deal, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports that the contract also includes an opt-out clause after the second year.
As one of a handful of notable free agents still on the market, Upton had been a frequent target of speculation of late. Some even suggested that he could settle for a one-year deal, although that notion was obviously an unfounded one.
The Tigers seemed poised to make a late offseason move for one of the remaining big-name free agents, and it appears they have done so by adding Upton with only a month to go until Spring Training.
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Detroit has been in need of an everyday left fielder since the departure of Yoenis Cespedes via trade last July, and Upton figures to provide a solid solution. The 28-year-old is coming off the third All-Star campaign of his career, one in which he slashed .251/.336/.454, belted 26 homers and drove in 81 runs.
Upton has been a highly productive hitter over the past several seasons, putting up an OPS+ of at least 120 in five of his last seven campaigns. A powerful right-handed bat, Upton hit a career-high 31 home runs for the Diamondbacks in 2011 and has been responsible for 82 long balls (as well as 253 RBIs) over the last three years.
Upton should fortify a Tigers lineup that already boasts some legitimate firepower. First baseman Miguel Cabrera‘s skills need no introduction, and fellow outfielder J.D. Martinez enjoyed a breakout 2015 in which he posted an .879 OPS (140 OPS+), hit 38 homers and collected 102 RBIs.
Last year did raise a few red flags with regard to Upton’s performance, however. His .251 batting average was his lowest since 2008, his second season in the league. His .790 OPS represented a .043 drop from 2014. Detroit will keep its fingers crossed that he doesn’t decline much further as he progresses into this contract, though the possibility of the opt-out after 2017 should be kept in mind. Upton has experienced some year-to-year recoveries before, such as in 2013 when his OPS climbed .033 points from the season prior.
As the New York Post’s Joel Sherman notes, the Tigers’ 2016 batting order looks to be rather heavy on right-handers, making it even more important for the switch-hitting Victor Martinez to stay healthy and have a bounce-back year.
Despite its pedigree, Detroit’s offense was decidedly middle-of-the-pack last year, finishing 15th in MLB with 689 runs and 18th with 151 homers. Miguel Cabrera missing 43 games didn’t help in that regard, so if he can stay on the field, bringing Upton into the mix should push the Tigers closer to the top of those lists in 2016.
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With Upton now off the board and the number of days until Spring Training dwindling, even more eyes will shift to Yoenis Cespedes. The Astros are the latest team linked to the slugger.