The signing: Outfielder Justin Upton agrees to a six-year, $132.75 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, pending a physical exam. The deal includes an opt-out that could allow Upton to return to the free-agent market after the 2017 season, when he’ll be 30 years old.
Just when it appeared Yoenis Cespedes would be the next prominent free agent to come off the board, the Tigers swooped in and signed Upton to a deal that will pay him an average annual salary of $22.125 million over the life of his contract.
Amid speculation that Detroit might try to rebuild in the aftermath of a 74-87 record and last-place finish in the American League Central, the Tigers remain in go-for-it mode under their 86-year-old patriarch, Mike Ilitch. Detroit signed starter Jordan Zimmermann to a five-year, $110 million contract early in the offseason, added Mike Pelfrey to the back of the rotation, traded for closer Francisco Rodriguez, picked up setup man Mark Lowe through free agency, and acquired outfielder Cameron Maybin in a trade with Atlanta before signing Upton.
This isn’t the first time the Ilitch-led Tigers have added a big bat through free agency late in the hot stove season. In late January 2012, they signed Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract after Victor Martinez suffered a season-ending knee injury during his offseason conditioning program.
The reason: Upton is only 28 years old, and he provides consistent offense in the middle of the order even though he has averaged a hefty 144 strikeouts per year since becoming a regular with Arizona in 2008. Upton ranks eighth among MLB outfielders with 173 home runs and 12th in slugging percentage at .478 (minimum: 2,500 plate appearances) during that span.
Before Tuesday, the Tigers appeared ready to go with an outfield alignment of J.D. Martinez in right field, Maybin in center and Anthony Gose in left. The addition of Upton allows manager Brad Ausmus to platoon Maybin and Gose in center and avoid over-exposing either of those two players.
Since San Diego gave Upton a $15.8 million qualifying offer in December (which he declined), the Tigers have to surrender draft-pick compensation for him. But it wasn’t a major consideration for general manager Al Avila. The Tigers’ first-round pick (No. 9 overall) is protected because they finished with one of MLB’s 10 worst records, and they already gave up their second-round pick as compensation for signing Zimmermann. So the price for signing Upton is only a third-round selection.
The impact: Yes, the Tigers are getting old in some places. Victor Martinez is 37, Ian Kinsler turns 34 in June, and Miguel Cabrera will be 33 in April. But the lineup still looks imposing on paper, and the Tigers have a chance to vault Minnesota, Cleveland and Chicago and give the world champion Royals a run if they get any kind of pitching at all.
A lot depends on health, of course. Cabrera missed 43 games with calf and back issues last season on his way to capturing his fourth career batting title, and Martinez missed 42 games while logging a career-worst .667 OPS. Detroit’s offense slumped to 10th in the American League in runs after ranking second in that category in each of the previous two seasons.
Even though Upton will be playing in the American League for the first time, he should slide nicely into the No. 2 or No. 5 spot in a predominantly right-handed Detroit lineup. The Tigers aren’t asking Upton to carry the team. If he can approximate his career .271/.352/.473 slash line, he’ll lengthen out the middle of the order and be a welcome addition at Comerica Park.
It had to be a load off Upton’s mind to finally agree on a long-term deal amid speculation that he might be desperate enough to sign a one-year "pillow contract" and go back on the open market next winter. Now the media attention shifts solely to Cespedes, the most prominent bat left on the market.