After spending the past several weeks weighing an opt-out clause that would’ve allowed him to forgo the remaining four years and $88.5MM on his contract, Justin Upton has reached a compromise with the Angels. The Halos announced on Thursday that they’ve signed Upton to a new five-year contract that runs through the 2022 campaign, in essence extending his current deal by one year in exchange for tearing up the opt-out provision. Upton, a client of Reynolds Sports Management, will reportedly earn $106MM on the five-year deal, which contains a full no-trade clause.
Upton’s deal can technically be viewed as a one-year, $17.5MM extension of his current contract, then, which brings the total value of the deal to $150.5MM over seven years. He’ll now reportedly earn $16MM in 2018, $18MM in 2019, $21MM in 2020, $23MM in 2021 and $28MM in 2022 on a contract that carries through his age-34 season.
[Related: Updated Los Angeles Angels payroll outlook and depth chart]
Los Angeles acquired Upton from the Tigers on Aug. 31 in exchange for pitching prospect Grayson Long and a player to be named later, hoping that Upton’s bat would help fuel a run at an American League Wild Card berth. While the Angels ultimately fell short of that goal, it was through no fault of Upton; in 115 plate appearances with the Angels, Upton nearly matched his OBP and slugging numbers with the Tigers, hitting .245/.357/.531 with seven homers in the season’s final month. Overall, he finished out the year with a .273/.361/.540 batting line, a career-high 35 homers and 14 steals.
Upton’s first year with the Tigers got off to a poor start, prompting many to question the initial six-year, $132MM contract before Upton righted the ship in Detroit about halfway through that 2016 campaign. Dating back to July 1 of last season, Upton has batted .270/.352/.548 with 58 home runs in 946 trips to the plate — good for a park- and league-adjusted wRC+ of 137. (In other words, his bat has bee about 37 percent better than that of a league-average hitter.)
Beyond his excellence at the plate, Upton turned in yet another solid year on the defensive end of the equation. Defensive Runs Saved pegged him at +8, while Ultimate Zone Rating had him at 2.1 runs above average. Statcast’s new Outs Above Average metric was a bit less bullish, grading him at -1 outs. Despite the variance in those respective metrics, the Angels can reasonably expect at least average defensive contributions from Upton next year in addition to strong offense and above-average baserunning.
For the Angels, left field was a clear need whether a deal with Upton was worked out or not. The Halos are lacking in upper-level bats that can be relied upon to contribute to a big league lineup, but Upton will now join Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun in the Angels’ outfield and in the heart of their order. Aging slugger Albert Pujols, of course, remains a fixture in the lineup as well, though the soon-to-be 38-year-old struggled through the worst season of his Hall of Fame career in 2017.
The Pujols commitment remains an onerous financial obligation, but the Angels now have Josh Hamilton’s massive contract off the books, which will effectively be replaced by the Upton deal. Upton’s contract , though, will come with a lesser luxury tax obligation — $21.2MM annually if the contract is viewed as a five-year, $106MM deal or $21.46MM if it’s viewed as seven years and $150.25MM. The Angels will also see both Ricky Nolasco and Huston Street come off the books this winter once their options are declined, further creating some payroll flexibility, both as it pertains to the luxury tax and the 2018 roster.
The backloaded nature of Upton’s new contract structure should allow the Angels to be a bit more aggressive in filling out their 2018 roster this winter. Between Upton, Trout, Pujols, Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons and Luis Valbuena, the Angels have about $105MM in guaranteed 2018 salary on the books. That figure will rise into the $128MM range after Garrett Richards, Matt Shoemaker, Tyler Skaggs, Andrew Heaney, Martin Maldonado, Blake Parker, Jose Alvarez, Cam Bedrosian and J.C.Ramirez are tendered contracts (and potentially more if C.J. Cron and Blake Wood are also tendered). That should leave the Angels with some spending money to address needs at second base and at an infield corner (whichever Valbuena does not play) in addition to stabilizing their injury-plagued pitching staff.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported the total guarantee of the contract (Twitter link). ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted the annual breakdown of the deal, and MLB.com’s Jon Morosi added that Upton received a no-trade clause.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Yikes
Angels spending money like they got it….
It probably has something to do with the 40M they have all the books this year or something…
Because they do.
Wow, that was quick.
Probably the right call for him.
And them!
Not a surprise. Upton lives in Arizona and wanted to be close to home. Did reasonable job for LAA after trade.
Arte Moreno has a remarkable ability to sign all the wrong position talent.
Forgotten by most is the god awful $55 million given to obvious PED fraud Gary Matthews Jr.
I thought he only signed because he had that catch of the year lol
You can’t blame the bad signings on Arte other than Hamilton in which he personally was involved in … his ownership has spanned 4 GMS. Reagins may have signed GMJ but he also signed Torii. DiPoto may have signed Pujols, but he got us Skaggs back and extended Trout. There’s ups and downs, it happens with every franchise … even the Astros with their Jon Singleton extension.
Arte also pushed for Pujols.
Likely have had this done for some time and just couldn’t announce it yet.
It’s a good move for The Angels. Tackle one of their problems real early on in the off season.
Good for both,
I am also glad that Upton is showing the Angels some love and loyalty!
Loyalty for being on the team for 2 1/2 months? I think the money might have had something to do with it
It was like a month haha
It was a month
Love it – LF has been a sore spot for some time now
Yea, and 2B has been as well since they traded Kendrick. That should be the next position they look at.
Starlin Castro?
That would be sweet. As a Yanks fan, that opens the door for Torres once he is going at full speed & also helps the Halos, as Starlin is on a reasonable deal
No thanks
If I’m looking at the FA market, I’d be looking into Zack Cozart., if he’s willing to move him to 2B. He’d provide a good glove, and good power. Even if he can’t replicate his 297 average, he would still be more useful than what they have been using. He’s a regression candidate. I wouldn’t expect him to decline to the 240-25o hitter he was, but not stay at the 290-300 hitter he was this year. Maybe a 270-280 guy.
But if they want to go a more conventional route at 2B, they could look at Neil Walker, Eduardo Nunez, or even a Howie Kendrick reunion.
Starling isn’t anywhere close to a reasonable deal. Yanks would have to eat at least 6 Mil for a deal to be made
Legit question: can he still opt out in the next three days, or does this extension wipe it off the contract?
It voids the opt out.
Good move. They needed to have a bat like his in the lineup. It also fills a major hole they have had for years.
Good move for both Upton and the Angels. Now if they can sign a 3B and a pitcher or two they might have a shot next year.
They have a bunch of money off the books this year, and only have so much longer with Trout, so might as well make your push. It’s really not a bad contract.
They probably figure that as long as they’re stuck paying Albert Pujols through the end of time, it wouldn’t make much sense to rebuild, so may as well throw more money around and hope they get lucky.
SMH so the angels will be stuck with a over paid DH the last 2 years of the deal. $50 million in the last 2 years of the deal will be a big mistake. Same problem with most contracts the angels sign they back load the contract so the player’s trade value goes way down if they need to trade him the last 2 years of the deal.
Nah it’s the right move, Angels payroll will probably look very different in 2021 and 2022. Trout is a free agent after 2020. Pujols last year of his deal is 2021. Plus luxury threshold will increase quite a bit by then. So Upton’s contract in 2021-22 will hardly be a burden at all.
Keeping Upton’s price down in the Trout years is more important than in the years when Trout is possibly/probably gone. The Angels have to build a winner in the next three seasons.
Almost every significant free agent deal is backloaded as it gives the player more security as they age/decline. This is not something unique to just the Angels. Also, why does it even matter? AAV is what they use to compute payroll.
The backloading situation doesn’t really apply anymore with how AAV are used to calculate payroll against the Salary Cap. And even if it was the $17 Million that was tacked on is actually the least amount he’d be making in the contract.
Cue the math-challenged “The Angels are now out of money to fill their other roster holes” crowd.
They are like a person who almost pay offs their credit card account and says why not max it out again because I have money to spend.
When will the Angels ever learn that these backloaded contracts just lead to financial crisis
If ever there was a time to sign a big backloaded contract, “having the best player on the planet for a few more years only” would be that time.
Absolutely. What is the point of having a lot of payroll flexibility in 2021, after Trout is gone? The Angels need that payroll flexibility now, in 2018-2020.
Well perhaps a better method would be to front-load the contract instead. With Trout the Angels are likely drawing bigger crowds than they will without him so they’ll have more cash to pay for the contract, and then once he’s gone and they want to rebuild a player with a lower contract would be a better asset, thereby getting them more in return on the trade market.
Contracts, and how they’re structured do not impact the luxury tax…it’s all about the AAV. But the way they are structured impacts trade value. Look at Stanton’s deal. 13yrs/$325M is/was a good value deal for him, but the Marlins structured so a club trading for him takes ALL the risk, including the opt-out. Think if the Marlins front-loaded his deal, paying him $35M the first three years, that would leave him with $220M/10 years, which would be an absolute steal, and teams would be lining up to hand top prospects to acquire him. Now it’s like…”Well, with that contract we’ll only give you…such and such”.
Yeah, but it doesn’t work that way. Contracts are structured for a variety of reasons, including tax deferral, payroll requirements of the team, near-term cash flow and changes to such during years of the deal (new TV deal, anticipated new CBA, new stadium, etc).
In case of Stanton, old ownership was going to sell in next few years and was not going to pay a penny more than necessary. The remainder was the next team buyer’s problem. The only reason the contract was written was because after years of looting the franchise, the ownership had to pretend to care about winning.
Besides, what looks now like an inflated, “backloaded” salary to be paid in 2020 may well be reasonable by the time salaries rise over those years. Someone is going to overpay badly for JD Martinez, which will make Upton seem like a relative bargain, and the next free agent class including Harper and Machado will incinerate old FA salary norms.
At his very worst he can’t be nearly as bad as Hamilton and Vernon Wells were and it feels nice to have a rental actually stay unlike Teixeira and Greinke in the past.
Even when Hamilton played he was still an above average hitter
I think Upton has pretty much already out-performed what Hamilton did for the Angels, and he’ll make less money doing it.
Yeah I guess his OPS of ~.740 with the Angels was decent, but coming at the price of $25 million a year it’s not too great.
Full no trade? Enjoy that one LAA
Well, that was unexpected
But to play with trout and Pujols ?
Yes
This signing makes J.D. Martinez a very wealthy guy. Maybe the Halos will take Kinsler for a year, giving up a mid level prospect.
Kinsler rejected a trade to the Angels in August. There are younger second baseman who will be on the market as Free Agents this off-season. So why get a player who will be going into the last year of his deal who doesn’t want to play for them?
I scoured the internet and found nothing about Kinsler rejecting a trade to the Angels. More fake news. Sad!
The Angels were the team that claimed him, when the Tigers put him on waivers. The Angels and Tigers had a deal in place, but Kinsler wouldn’t waive his no trade clause.
Link? There is no evidence of that that I can find. The only thing I found was that he was claimed by an unidentified team and pulled back after the two teams failed to reach a deal. There’s nothing that says Kinsler was even asked to waive his NTC.
Kinsler and Upton became close buddies while on the Tigers. He would be an excellent pickup for the Angels. Regarding the waivers claim, it was reported in Detroit that Kinsler was asking for a contract extension past 2018 in return for dropping his no trade clause. That applied to anybody who would claim him .
97.1 the Ticket, which is the Tigers radio station, reported on August 10th that the Angels had claimed Kinsler, but that he had blocked the trade as they were one of the teams on his limited no-trade clause. He was reportedly asking for a contract extension in order to approve the trade.
So one local radio station as literally the only source for this information.
I’m skeptical. If I posted as fact everything that my local sports guys says I’d be passing along a lot of bad information.
And look where Kinsler is now. Not winning.
And the Angels…aren’t either.
Another contract the Angels will come to regret. Should get a couple good years before stops producing though.
Moreno is the knee-jerkiest owner in sports. Throws decent money after bad, then more bad after the decent. Upton is not the answer to that giant mystery box of a rotation and a lineup carried by Trout and the flavor-of-the-year. Not the worst move but yes, this deal will be bad by 2020.
I think “a couple good years” is essentially what the Angels are hoping for. 3 more years of Trout is all they can claim at this point.
Actually this should be a better bet. They are getting Upton for his age 30-34 seasons. While decline can happen any time in the 30’s it’s most typical in the age 35 season. I’m comfortable with a contract that doesn’t run past age 34.
Well, the Angels really only need 3 good years out of this deal, and that I think will probably happen. The AAV is more than fair. The last year or two are kinda iffy, but that’s probably worthwhile gamble, since they are probably beyond the Trout years.
Jealous?
I guess they needed someone to protect Trout in the lineup, but will J-Up last another 5 years?
Doesn’t have to. Trout won’t be there in 4.
You don’t know that. None of us do. It’s just speculation, and fans of other teams doing some dreaming.
Over/ under years before he’s traded 3 years into his contract?
Low, if he has reported NTC.
This is a perplexing deal for Upton. Steve mentions that he got $28 million in the last year of the deal, but that’s really $18 million. He’s also getting $10 million he would’ve gotten in 2018 and 2019 that year. Based on present value calculations he’s giving up around $1.4 million by doing that. So his extension is, in essence, $16.6 million.
Was one year at $16.6 million the best he could’ve gotten on the free agent market? I doubt it.
Not perplexing at all. Upton said he loved, not liked, loved playing in Anaheim and he got a full NTC so he gets to stay where he wants to be and he got $17.5 more guaranteed dollars to stay where he wants to be.
Very perplexing. They would have had to pay him more money if he were a free agent and they had 29 other teams driving up his price. If I were to offer you $1,000 tomorrow and in exchange all you had to do was do whatever you were going to do that day anyway, would you take it? Of course you would. What you are suggesting is that Upton doesn’t take it.
So much on your THEORY about Upton
and Free agency! LoL
He would have made more money in free agency. It’s how the free market works. Even if he wanted to stay in Anaheim, this contract he ended up getting was the worst case scenario money-wise for him.
You don’t know that
FACT! You were WRONG about Upton
and free agency! Go back
and read your other posts about Upton
and see how wrong you were!
I wasn’t wrong. Free agency IS the more prudent route. Name one thing Upton would have lost by waiting out free agency. Just ONE.
But the point is you said for a FACT that he WAS going to free agency
Go back
and read your other posts about Upton! Admit it! You were WRONG!
I think it’s been clear there wouldn’t have been 29 other teams competing because of his well-known desire to be close to home in PHX.
He got a little extra love from the Angels in that 5th year, but otherwise has the same deal that the team acquired. He’s already made a lifetime of money so doubling his contract was never the goal. That is not who he is, apparently.
The Padres are even closer to his home in PHX and he didn’t extend with them when it was offered. And he was there longer. And testing free agency wouldn’t have barred him from staying close to home and would have made him more money.
Easy: A west coast team to play for. If he opted out, the Angels would have looked elsewhere. That is Arte’s style, but also the smart approach. Needs must be met, and it’s on to Plan B if Plan A doesn’t work out.
Padres already tried him on a less-expensive deal, no indication of need from Dbacks, Rox or Dodgers. Giants maybe, but they’re trying to figure out much more than LF.
Oakland couldn’t afford, Mariners would want a different kind of OF (Dipoto likes them athletic and high OBP). That’s it for “West Coast”, though AZ and Rox aren’t reall WC. After that, the distance becomes greater and he clearly expressed a preference for a team close to Scottsdale.
This isn’t rocket surgery to figure out, mostly because he wasn’t chasing the biggest payday. From the tone of your comments, it seems to offend you that he *didn’t* hit the open market. I’m sure he’ll send a note of apology after he gets back home.
So you’re saying that if he had opted out, the Angels would have punished him for not extending and walked away from the table? I don’t think so.
Still not wrong. Upton blew it with this move.
How many times do players have to sign despite your pronouncements that they absolutely, positively, without a doubt will go into free agency before you realize that you were wrong all along and that regardless of your opinion, the only one that makes it right or wrong is the opinion of the player and his agent?
The only way Upton was right to do this is if he literally could not have squeezed one more cent out of Arte Moreno or if no team would have been willing to offer him enough to convince him to jump ship.
Uptown had nothing to gain by agreeing to this deal. He completely lost on this deal. Angels made a great deal.
Upton*
I have no idea why this concept is so hard for you to understand.
If you want an example – check out Encarnacion. Guy was offered 4/$80MM. He signed WITH EVERY TEAM AVAILABLE for 3/$65MM (including a buyout). It was clear that EE wanted to stay in Toronto – he clearly believed that he would get something north of $100MM on the open market. He miscalculated by at least 40%.
It all worked out for EE as Cleveland was terrific and Toronto wasn’t. But the larger point is that simply having more teams bidding and being on the open market does not always mean more money. There
are tons of examples of people who fared far worse by going on the open market. Uptin was one of the guys that could have easily fallen into that category. His opt out was right at his real market value. He risked not only signing for less money, and he might have been forced to play for a team he didn’t want to.
Bird in the hand. No guarantees that the Angels would go above this offer (see Teixeira) or that he would have found a better deal in the open market.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
No. The Angels are not going to bring their best to the table if they are the only team allowed to negotiate with Upton. That is NOT how businesses operate. And if Upton’s “opt out was right at his real market value” the Angels would not have tacked on another year to get him to forego the opt out. They would have said “Go ahead, opt out.” People were saying the exact same thing about Upton two years ago. Saying that he would take an extension from the Padres or even accept the qualifying offer. Well guess what? He didn’t. And guess what? He’s better off for it.
Even J Up and his agent don’t know that. Last year’s FA market had the NL home run leader begging for a platoon role. EE was signed by a team that never thought he would be in their price range. Now, the risk of not getting more is significantly higher. Taking a one year deal, hoping the market will change isn’t an option, because of the FA class of 18. It was a safe choice for him.
Lol do not compare Upton to Chris Carter. Upton can do more than just hit home runs and the Brewers never offered Carter a lucrative extension to try and entice him to stay. If they had, he would have, because he couldn’t get more. Upton could. The risk of not getting more was basically non-existent. No business will bring their best to the table if they are the only ones allowed to negotiate with their counterpart.
I think Angels should try to snatch up Brandon morrow and pat neshek, trade for dee Gordon and make a run at mustakas … but I guess better said than done.
Great deal for the Halos and for Upton. They get Upton for 5 years for just $17.5 million more, lowering the AAV, and they get more payroll flexibility since 2018 is now just $16 million instead of $22.125 million. Upton gets more guaranteed money and gets to play where he wants to play with a full NTC.
Now if they can just fill the holes in their pitching staff and at 2B and 3B they should be in contention for a WC this coming season.
Yup. I am pretty amazed that Upton is actually giving up on some money up front in the contract.
Answer this question what does Justin Upton objectively gain from that this he wasn’t going to get anyway? Don’t say “He gets to stay with a team he likes playing for” because going to free agency wouldn’t have barred him from doing that. Your failure to respond will be interpreted as “Nothing.”
It’s a game of musical chairs. What if the Angels traded to fill the position (Stanton/Osuna), or used his money to sign Moose to play third. What if JD is the Angels choice? He could easily be in Baltimore playing for less.
If they had preferred to go with someone else they would have waited until free agency and done that. It’s clear they preferred to stick with Upton. He’s not going to get less in free agency because there’s no way the Angels offer him more than all of the other 29 teams are willing to offer when they are the only ones allowed to negotiate with him. Why would they do that?
Just realized I posted before WestCoast “no one signs extensions” Ryan could come on and say this was stupid for Upton.
It was stupid for him. I’m still convinced you and Pads Fans are the same person on 2 different accounts.
Well, you are as wrong about that as you were about your pronouncement that Upton would absolutely without question opt-out and would not sign an extension.
Wouldn’t expect you to admit it even if it were true. You guys have not disagreed on ONE thing. Not one. You also have the same approach to commenting and shared the same article about Matt Stairs yesterday.
And once again, I also know how to downvote other people’s comments.
These clowns will never be contenders as long as the current ownership and management is in place. Yet another BAD contract.
Not really a bad contract considering he could have done better in free agency
Wait a minute! In the above post, you say it’s a ” worse case scenerio!” So which is it? That or ” Not really a bad contract?” Hmmm…..
Not really a bad contract from the Angels’ POV but a worst case scenario for Upton. You knew what I meant. Stop trying to misinterpret me, troll.
You are just pissed cuz you are WRONG ! Admit it! Now that’s a FACT!
When Trout was a rookie, the single most important person on the team was Torii Hunter. Even more than Scioscia, Hunter taught Trout the nuances of the game, how to live in MLB, and how to improve his future.
None of us knows if Trout will leave the team after the next three seasons, or will extend. If he does leave, then his successors as of now would be either Jahmai Jones, or Jordon Adell. Either one will need his own Torii, and Upton can be that mentor. This is not a reason to sign him to the extra year, but it likewise can mean those final two years wouldn’t be a total write off, either.
Win-win for player and club. Love this (no-brainer) move. Allows Eppler to put the “will Upton opt out?” dialogue to bed immediately so he can focus on 2B, SP, and the bullpen. It also shows prominent FAs that the Angels are in it to win.
No. It’s not a win for Upton He possibly just kissed away $10m for no gain
He wanted to play in Anaheim, close to his home in Arizona, that’s the gain. You don’t ever seem to get that environment and location have value to a player.
Go read my other comments Einstein. I already dismissed that argument. Going to free agency wouldn’t have barred him from staying in Anaheim and best case scenario would have forced them to up their ante cuz he had 29 others teams bidding on him.
Dismiss it all you want. The only opinion that matters is the players and their agents. Time after time when you have said they absolutely will opt-out or explore FA they have signed extensions.
What is important to guys making tens of millions is very different from that of guys working at Taco Bell trying to survive college like you.
Don’t you think that his agent gauged his value prior to their signing the extension? If you don’t, then you are more deluded than you have shown in the past. He knew what he was worth and chose to stay in Anaheim because he wanted to be there, was getting comparable money, got a FULL NTC, and is playing on a team next to Trout that has a real shot at making the playoffs each of the next 3 seasons.
It’s not about getting every last dollar. It’s about getting what the player wants. Upton obviously got what he wanted.
Time after time? Name one other time.
I don’t work at Taco Bell. Where did that one come from?
You already admitted that he could have gotten more if he opted out and now you’re saying he is getting comparable money to what he would have gotten. Which one is it?
The Angels aren’t going to make the playoffs during the duration of Upton’s contract.
You also said that the Padres would extend Carter Capps. That was yet another BRILLIANT call on the part of the all-knowing outinleftfield. Why would they want to extend him?
But apparently he didn’t have 29 other clubs bidding on him
and the FACT is Upton signed with the Angels for LESS money
He would have had more than 1 if he waited like a week and could have milked them for MORE money.
Wow. I thought Upton would be smarter than that. This move indicates that Upton should have opted out. If the Angels were willing to bump his pay this much, then other teams likely would have as well. He would have made a lot more money if he had been fielding offers from all 30 teams than he would by limiting the market to just one. “What if he wants to stay in Anaheim?” isn’t an excuse because they would have been pressured to up their ante if there were 29 other teams driving up his price, so by waiting out free agency he could have gotten more money AND gotten to stay in Anaheim. Huge coup for the Angels.
BUT he didn’t
and in FACT he signed for less cuz he loved playing for the Angels
Could have gotten more money FROM the Angels in free agency. And hard to love playing for a team that you were only a part of for like a month and that isn’t going to make the playoffs during the duration of your contract.
We’ll never know what he could’ve done in free agency ! Since its all in theory!
What we do know is that according to the basic market principles of supply and demand, more bidders means higher price and higher price means more money for Upton. The Angels likely would have had to up their ante to keep him if he had waited for free agency.
But we also know there’s a price over which the Angels would have dropped out of the bidding.
So obviously Upton decided his desire to stay in Anaheim outweighed his desire to maximize dollars.
Why are people so shocked and appalled when this happens? Ya’ll a bunch of Boras minions here….
Yes and his goal should have been to push them to that price or to get someone else to offer him enough money that the difference in dollars was worth leaving Anaheim. Limiting the market to one team is not the way to do that.
COULD’ VE! But didn’t ! So it’s all a theory at this point! FACT he signed with Angels for LESS money cuz he loved playing there! Uptons own words!
SO A THEORY! Cuz it didn’t happen! Fact !
Which was an incredibly stupid move on his part
If and But! Again it’s all a theory ! But the FACT remains he signed for less money to stay!
And the FACT also remains that he shouldn’t have
And he had no reason not to
What difference does it even make whether it was “smart” or not? He wanted to stay with the Angels. There’s nothing bad about this for anyone except teams that didn’t get a chance to sign him.
Your reading comprehension is clearly Kindergarten level as I already addressed that. If he had waited out free agency he could have gotten more money AND gotten to stay with the Angels. They would have been pressured to offer him more money if he had 29 other teams driving up his price. If the Angels fail to contend in the next few years, who says they too won’t try to trade him?
You (and Upton) don’t know that he could have 100% for sure got more money and stay in Anaheim. What does Upton do when the day after he opts out the Angels went out and got JD Martinez? Upton’s hope of staying in Anaheim would be down the drain.
Good thing Upton has the ability to weigh the possible scenarios logically better than some of the commenters here.
He’s not going to get more money by limiting the market to one team than he would by fielding offers from all 30 teams. It’s called the free market. Learn about it.
Maybe $106 M was plenty for him. Not everything is about squeezing every last penny out of a team. Maybe he wanted to leave some on the table so the Angels could improve their roster. I think WestCoastRyan is actually Boras incognito.
@TheWestCoastRyan – The opt out provision in his contract gives him significant leverage NOW. He doesn’t have absolute zero leverage before he exercises the opt out.
The Angels know he can walk in days. That gives them incentive to make a serious offer now. Upton also knows the Angels could walk away. That give him an incentive to accept a little less than he might get from another team (assuming he wanted to stay in Anaheim, as reported). This is basic logic.
In your crazy world, the Angels would just offer league minimum now, and only *after* the opt out would the realize they have to offer more. That’s silly.
Shut up troll. Everyone says that and it’s never true. No player will take a discount unless they get back something better in return. Upton didn’t. Don’t troll and say “What if he wants to stay in Anaheim?” Taking an extension was not a prerequisite to doing that.
LOL you literally just said that Upton will get more money with only one bidder. Go to any auction and I guarantee you the more bidders, the higher the price. If he goes to free agency the Angels will be forced to put up or shut up. Worst case scenario he gets what he ended up getting. Best case scenario the Angels up their ante to keep him. Plenty of people on here, even those who don’t agree with me, are saying that he could have gotten more in free agency.
You’re talking like Upton was the only OF available. Like someone said before what if he opted out and the Angels signed JD Martinez or Lorenzo Cain and let’s say the Giants do trade for Stanton. That pretty much leaves the DBacks as his only option to stay close to home because the Dodgers have no need for him and the Padres are not winning anything soon (Upton said what matter the most to him was to win). With that kind of leverage for the team do you think Upton would make more money, very very unlikely.
People on here have already ADMITTED that he could have made more money! Angels aren’t going to win anytime soon either.
Wow! Not just ignorant, but aggressively and insultingly ignorant. That’s a mighty sexy combo you’re working there, pal.
You and the doctor can discuss your hypersensitivity to decisions made by Justin Upton in your next session, but sensible people understand not every FA contract is about the highest bidder winning, nor does the FA always choose money above all.
Further, had he not only opted out but walked away from extension negotiations, the Angels would have moved on. That is how Arte has worked in the past. That was the risk Upton apparently didn’t want to make.
In short, one of the distinguishing differences between you and Upton is that he doesn’t have poor impulse control. You, on the other hand, make incivility your calling card. How sad to be seen that way in life.
Except he wouldn’t be fielding offers from all 30 teams. If you’d like to talk Supply + Demand: had Upton opted out, the supply of free agent LFs would not be 1, He wouldn’t even be the best LF available.
Demand: not all 30 teams have a need for a LF, Further limiting demand for Upton amongst teams looking for an LF:
1. Some teams lack the capital to make a competitive offer.
2. Not all teams with the necessary capital would automatically be interested in pursuing Upton. They might be:
-looking for a more short term solution
-looking for a player with a different skill-set
-unwilling to commit the dollars/years necessary to sign Upton
-skeptical that Upton will be able to maintain a quality of performance over the life of his contract.
-They also might just not like him. Happens.
As Upton is not acting as his own agent, his agency likely surveyed his potential market (like with actual analytics, surveying actual data, rather than yelling “free-market” abstractions into the void), advised him accordingly, and now here we are.
You are completely clueless as to how the market works. If Upton is available at a price they are willing to pay, they will pay it. His goal is (or should be) to push them to the edge of their willingness-to-pay. You have failed to name one thing Upton gains from this extension and until that changes all your comments will be irrelevant.
Angels already had other options available. Your stance implies that Upton was the only option available now and free agency would change that, simply isn’t the case. JDM, Cain and whoever else were always going to become available. That isn’t a new development. But clearly the Angels prefer Upton and him opting out wouldn’t change that.
So maybe not all 30 teams would have entered the bidding, but some would have. And more bidders means higher price. THAT is a FACT.
Literally started by saying that the supply of FA LFs is >1. Previous to this new contract, Upton WAS the Angels only option: he was signed to be their left fielder for the next 4 years. Literally all he would have had to do was say “I’m staying” and the market for LF’s becomes totally irrelevant to the Angels. Had Upton opted out and entered free agency, the Angels are no longer “set in left for 4 years” they are “in need of a LF.” All those other left fielders would be available via free agency either way, but that’s irrelevant to the Angels unless Upton opts out.
“Some would have.” How many teams? Which teams? Higher price relative to what? Without knowing the actual demand/team structure, “more bidders means higher price” is another abstraction. Would he have done better in Free Agency than the 4 years $88 million he’d toss? You have no idea.
Those other LF’s were already going to be available. Evidently, the Angels prefer Upton. him opting out wouldn’t change that.
Don’t know how many but more than one. Higher price relative to what he ended up getting. He absolutely would have done better than 4 years $88m by opting out. If that wasn’t the case the Angels wouldn’t have even offered to bump his pay.
#getsmacked
Yes, again, those other LFs would be free agents in both scenarios, but their availability would be irrelevant to the Angels unless Upton opted out. Whether Upton opting out would have changed the Angels preferences/approach to the offseason is pure conjecture. LF was far from the Angels only problem area.
Again, without any actual idea of what Upton’s demand would be, relative to the other LF options, and who the potential teams involved would be, your $ projections mean pretty much nothing.
More like your attitude is kindergarten level. You stated it but in the context of it being a poor decision. As if you know anything about Upton’s situation and what he wants. No matter how you try to twist it, Justin Upton made the decision he felt was best for him. And that’s it.
But player after player HAS taken a discount to stay where he wants to play. When are you going to realize that your opinion about what is important to players is not the reality for them?
You don’t know if taking an extension was a prerequisite for staying in Anaheim. Many owners have said to a player this is the most I will offer. If you walk away from the table I will pull that offer and you can play elsewhere. That has happened far more often than the times a player has opted out or explored FA when you said they absolutely, positively would.
Last question and then I will let you stew in your mistakes. Why is it that every time someone that is a regular calls you out on being wrong again, you call them a troll?
Apparently, you are the one that is clueless on how the baseball market works, because you are wrong time and time again when you say that players absolutely will opt out or explore FA.
So now you are back to saying that Upton took a discount. Your last comment you said he got comparable money and the one before that you said he took a discount. You flip flop more than Hillary.
So the Angels are going to punish Upton for taking the more prudent route and testing his options? Even if he ultimately isn’t priced out of their range? I’m gonna go with “No.”
I call them trolls because they repeatedly spout arguments that I have already debunked.
“Time and time again” lol name ONE other time. it still would be NOTHING compared to the THOUSANDS of times you have been wrong. Stupidity reigns supreme and you are too sad to realize it because the fool will always be one and he is always the last to know.
Yes, it’s much easier to just downvote than it is to make a relevant, well thought out reply isn’t it? Maybe that is why your name is “outinleftfield.” Cuz that is where your brain is.
Nope. Boras is smart.
Well so much for going after Moose!!!
I’m not sold on Moustakas–I think he will be a big overpay, and Boras will sell him as the biggest FA to hit 3B since Beltre (another Boras client).
However, the Angels do need stability at 3B, but even more importantly, they need LH bats to balance out a lineup, with Trout, Upton, Pujols, Simmons, Cron (if he isn’t non-tendered), and whoever is catching that night as RH are pretty much guaranteed to be in the lineup nightly. Besides Calhoun, occasional Valbuena starts, and (maybe) the player slotted at 2B, there isn’t a LH in the lineup, and that’s not good. To that end, Moustakas checks two boxes.
In a perfect world, Cowart would hit as well at MLB level as he has the last few seasons at AAA. His play at 3B defensively has been excellent, and he would provide the LH bat for the team. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to make that final leap to hitting MLB pitching, and may top out as a AAAA player. In that case, Moustakas is probably the next best option, although far more expensive (and already 29 years old, with Boras probably seeking a 6 year deal).
Now please trade for Stanton! Upton, trout, Stanton would be lethal!
Mmmmm…probably not. With the Upton signing, the team has a DH and a full OF, and Stanton does need a slot in the lineup.
Besides, Stanton’s deal will age almost as poorly as Pujols’.
Ok, so where is the starting pitching? They will get nowhere without adding some solid pitchers!
Yeah he had nothing to lose by opting out. There’s no way he makes less money by fielding offers from all 30 teams than he would by limiting the market to just one. He also wasn’t eligible for a QO by virtue of being involved in a midseason trade and already having received one in the past. People who say “What if he wants to stay in Anaheim?” are completely oblivious to the fact that an extension was not a prerequisite to doing that. Test free agency and make the Angels put up or shut up. Others have already admitted he could have gotten more money by opting out so it’s a no-lose proposition for him.
The only obliviousness I see here is your inability to understand that opting out is a roll of the dice by Upton, where he may not even have the option to return to the Angels after doing so.
Upton appears to be a rational thinker, trying to strike a balance between two competing desires, 1) wanting to stay in Anaheim, and 2) while also squeezing out 1 more guaranteed year for $17.5m. You may also want to consider that Upton’s agent had checked the water temperature with other teams and found it to be a little lacking, either in desirable locales or years/dollars.
Your mindset is, absolute maximizing of dollars, even to the point of signing to play in Timbuktu if it means one more dollar. There may be some players who share your mindset. Upton is not one. It doesn’t make him or his agent an idiot.
Wrong again. It seems abundantly clear that Upton wants to stay in Anaheim. Idk why, but whatever. He still should have opted out because the Angels will feel pressured to offer him more money if he has other teams driving up his price than they would if they are the only team allowed to negotiate with him. If you had taken an Introductory Economics course you would know that. If he opts out the Angels aren’t going to punish him by refusing to sign him even if he is still available at a price they are willing to pay. The goal is to get the Angels to the edge of their WTP and that is not what he did. If interest from other teams really were tepid, the Angels wouldn’t have upped his pay. They would have called his bluff and said “Go ahead, opt out.”
You say things like “I have already debunked [that]” rather like the way Hillary does. It’s very unpersuasive.
Careful with the condescending “if you had taken an introductory economics course” nonsense. I don’t work at a Taco Bell drive thru. I’ll play this card on you: I earn my paycheck as an employee of an NHL team in the hockey operations department, and have done so since 1997. Now when it comes to the Angels and MLB, I’m merely a fan and don’t pretend to know more than anyone else. But I do know enough about professional sports roster management and the dynamics of free agency to not deserve your condescending comments. What is it you do that gives you so much industry expertise? What were you doing in 2002?
Anyway, I’ll leave the thread to you now. Have fun.
Why do you feel the need to post irrelevant information about your job that no one cares about on a baseball rumors site?
Anyway, I am just a fan like most people on here but what I also am is an INFORMED fan and one who understands the basic principles of supply and demand. There is just no way Upton gets less money in free agency than he does by taking an extension. Even if he ultimately does just want to stay with the Angels, this extension was the floor for him. The Angels are not going to be bringing everything they got to the table when they are literally the whole market for him. That’s just not how businesses operate. But if there are other suitors they would have to put up or shut up. And Upton had the ability to make that happen.
This is why Chapman and Cespedes didn’t take extensions despite wanting to stay in NY. The Yankees and Mets were forced to up their respective antes because they were not the only teams allowed to negotiate with the player and thus, Chapman and Cespedes milked their teams for everything they could get.
Two steps in the wright direction, let’s continue Mr. Moreno………….the wrong L.A. was in the World Series.
How has Mike Scioscia remained manager this long? Anyone have any insight? It’s just weird Francona managed two world series for Boston and got run out of town well after the one Angels win. There’s been multiple managers making playoffs and getting fired. Dusty Baker has been fired a hundred times since that Anaheim world series victory. Why is he still employed?
Nice name
Dude horrible name consider changing it. Arte is part of the problem some many good people, long time people have gone because of mike and yet he is still here. Sell Arte save us from you and your decisions
If you ever ventured outside the bubble, you’d know better than that. Arte is not a perfect man and has made mistakes in his ownership, but there are plenty of fans of other teams who would want his willingness to run a big payroll.
Just consider his willingness to lock up Trout through 2020. Many owners would have reaped the savings of getting HOF performance from Trout on annual mandatory min raises, then gone through arb hearings, then lost him in FA. Arte instead committed to $30M salaries in 2018-20, along with above-market salaries for the arb years, in order to keep Trout’s status from being an annual offseason story.
Wells, GMJ and Hamilton are now all gone, and those were all big misfires. But they were mistakes of enthusiasm, not cheapness. Compare to the sad story being played out in Miami, with the team getting new ownership and still going through another dismantling. I’ll take Moreno anytime.
And many fans have forgotten how horrible Disney ownership was.
Once Eisner realized that he couldn’t turn the team and the fan experience into a trip to Disneyland, he began to regret the ownership of the team. Disney was justthisclose to contracting the Angels with either the Twins or Athletics and cashing out of MLB at one point.
Sure they remodeled Anaheim Stadium from that horrific job done to convert the stadium for the Rams and NFL, but aside from that, their ownership ranged from inattentive to downright alarming.
But Upton is a different
player
and had his own reasons for signing with the Angels! Not all players are the same
and money is not always the motivating reason for signing!
Couldda gotten more money to stay with the Angels. You are the weakest link, goodbye!
There is more than spending money, a lot of turn around in staff, no new stadium, 3 tommy john surgeries, minors depleted etc etc etc. yes trout got $$$ but ring???
Arte is responsible for 3 TJ surgeries? Really?
I think you’re conflating what the owner does and what the GM does. Dipoto did a fine job of thinning out the farm with some of his deals. Eppler has done much more but still giving up much less. The team is on the right path, but these things require a few seasons–as the Astros will tell you.
As for Trout without a ring: He can commiserate with Harper, Machado, Stanton, Goldschmidt, Arenado, and many other top-tier players who haven’t smelled a World Series game, much less won a ring. Again, that is hardly a negative regarding Arte, or his ownership.
Site owners/mods: can you implement a feature whereby each user is limited to three (or some other reasonable number) of posts per thread? The monomaniacal trolling on this thread is really, really irritating (I guess that’s the point.)
That being said, lets remember this gem: “The Angels aren’t going to make the playoffs during the duration of Upton’s contract. “
How would they make the playoffs during the duration of his contract? Mediocre product on the field, no prospects they can bring up or trade for reinforcements, really all they can do is spend more money and I’m not sure they wanna do that. Sooner or later, they’re gonna have to trade Mike Trout.
Both lazy and uninsightful analysis from someone who claims to know everything. Interesting combo, to be sure.
Actually, the “trade Trout” comment is the giveaway that the author doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
Never claimed to know everything. Thanks tho!
The 2017 Angels, a team that spent most of the season with a patchwork rotation in place of its injury-riddled expected/ideal starting rotation, and who were without Mike Trout for 40(!) games managed to remain in Wild Card contention up to the last 1 1/2 weeks of the season. To give them a 0% chance of making the postseason in the next 5 seasons is ridiculous.
” all they can do is spend more money and I’m not sure they wanna do that”
You’re right, I’m sure the Angels restructured Upton’s contract, backloading it to free up cash in the next 3 seasons, so Eppler could hide it under his bed.. Oh wait no, it’s conjecture. Horseshit. A literal guess.
Ah, a Trade Trout-er too! Do you have an actual proposal for who the Angels would trade with/receive in return that would be worth the 27-30 (conservative estimate) WAR they’d be giving up from moving Trout? or are you like everyone else and just throw that out there as if those two words are an actual solution on their own? I’ve got a guess.as to the answer.
They aren’t making it in the last 2 years cuz Trout will be gone so it has to be the first 3. The Astros have a stranglehold on the division lead so their best hope is a Wild Card spot. The Yankees and Twins, who played in the WC this year, aren’t slowing down. Nor are the Rays, who had the same record as the Angels. The A’s are on the rise and the White Sox, with arguably the game’s best farm system, could show up ahead of schedule. The Angels have a lot of work to do if they want to be one of the two best of the mentioned teams and every single one of them has help coming from the farm.
They didn’t restructure Upton’s contract. They just tacked on another year. It does look like they have some money to spend but so do other teams shooting for the Wild Card spot and do you know what else those other teams have? An actual farm system.
They won’t trade him now, or even a year from now. But sooner or later they will come to the daunting realization that they aren’t going to contend with or without him and will be faced with a decision: Trade him or let him leave for nothing.
Would it kill you to know the facts of what you’re discussing before you make unsupportable statements, then call others names?
Upton absolutely restructured his contract. The deal he signed with Detroit called for salaries of $22.125M annually, between 2018 and 2021.
The extension instead has him earning $16M 2018, $18M 2019, $21M 2020, $23M 2021, and $28M 2022. In reducing his salary over the next two seasons specifically, he gives Eppler some room to move with other contracts still to be written. For providing that flexibility to the Angels, Upton received a fat salary for 2022 (when Pujols’ deal is over).
Article says the deal can technically be viewed as a one-year $17.5m extension to his current contract, implying nothing else changed.
The 2017 Twins clinched the 2nd wild card spot after losing 103 games in 2016 and averaging 94 losses a season between 2011-2016. Their pitching staff remains pretty terrible and Sano is going under the knife. Waaaay too many question marks to declare them “not slowing down.”
=The Rays just completed their 4th straight losing season, are looking to cut payroll, and will almost certainly be losing Alex Cobb to Free Agency, They’re anything but a sure thing moving forward.
-If by “on the rise” you mean “lost 87 games this season instead of the 93 and 94 they lost the two previous seasons. Also GM Billy Beane committed to a full-team rebuild in July.” then yes the A’s are on the rise.
-The 95-loss White Sox have one of the best farm systems in baseball, largely due to the rebuild they recently committed to. Could that rebuild be successful more quickly than anticipated? Sure! Is it very likely: no.
The Astros and Yankees are both set up for long-term success, but to suggest that the Angels are playing catch-up to the Twins, Rays, A’s, and White Sox is silly.
“It does look like they have some money to spend but so do other teams shooting for the Wild Card spot”
Great, an impenetrable generality. Not weighed down with any important details like amount of money teams have to spend relative to their needs and relative to each other. Touche, I guess.
You’re also wrong on Upton’s contract. Via the LA Times:
“One advantage of the new contract is the additional payroll f lexibility it provides. Upton’s old deal called for him to earn $ 22.125 million in each of the next four years. The contract f inalized Thursday is significantly backloaded. It starts at $ 16 million in 2018 and rises to $ 18 million in 2019, $ 21 million in 2020, $ 23 million in 2021 and $ 28 million in 2022.
“Reconfiguring the cash flow of the deal was important for us, and we articulated that throughout the process with Justin,” Eppler said. “To really capture Justin’s commitment to winning, he was on board with that.”
The new deal also includes a full no-trade clause, replacing the 20-team NTC of the previous contract.
Cool. Since none of your other claims include any specifics I didn’t figure your Trout Trade “proposal” would either, but I was prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Thank you for confirming the solidness of my instincts.
They aren’t necessarily playing catchup to the Twins, A’s, Rays and White Sox but those teams all have farm systems. The Angels don’t. It will be much easier for those teams to make improvements than the Angels. Some of those teams’ prospects also have relatively close ETA’s. Angels do have more money to spend than those other teams but idk how much they are willing to spend. Spending more is the only way they will be able to keep up with the pack.
“Upton’s deal can technically be viewed as a one-year, $17.5MM extension of his current contract, then” is what this article said. Forgive me for interpreting that as “They tacked on a $17.5m guarantee for 2022, gave him a full NTC and left the rest of the contract alone” but I believe that was a fair interpretation.
Idk what they could get or would be willing to accept for Trout. As it stands now his trade value is so high that really no package any team would be comfortable trading would be enough. What I do know is that the closer he gets to free agency, the lower his trade value gets. And sooner or later the Angels will come to the realization that it’s just not happening and they are wasting his prime and will be forced to either trade him or let him walk.
Oh and you want to talk about the Twins and Rays not being sure things? The Angels have been below .500 the last 2 years and have no one coming up who could realistically be expected to help change that. Their only pitcher who pitched over 100 innings this season and was even average was Parker Bridwell. And he was acquired for cash considerations so it would not be surprising to see him regress in 2018. Their position players are all pretty mediocre except Trout, Upton and Simmons. A lot would have to go right for them to contend and the odds of that happening are no better than they are for the Twins, Rays, A’s or White Sox.
The A’s and White Sox have great farm systems because they are at the beginning of complete rebuilds. Both teams are explicitly, out-loud not looking to contend in the short term. It took the Astros 3 seasons between dismantling the team and getting to the postseason. The Braves, also owners of a top-ranked farm system, are in their 4th season of a rebuild and not expected to compete any time soon. Neither team is currently in any pack that the Angels are looking to keep up with. I’m not familiar with any study correlating a team’s farm system quality in a given year to its MLB team’s performance. You?
MLB-ready prospects allow teams to fill major league roster holes cheaply. They are not automatically improvements, no matter the quality of the farm system. Top prospects fizzle out constantly.
I have no opinion on your interpretation of Upton’s contract details. I was just giving you the correct info.
We can totally drop the Trout talk. I was just hoping there was an outside chance that you’d actually thought about the specifics of trading him. I’ll take the L on that one.
“Injuries have crushed the Angels’ pitching staff over the last two years, though the team finally appears to have things back on track, health-wise. Garrett Richards will headline the 2018 rotation, with Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker, JC Ramirez, Andrew Heaney, Parker Bridwell and Nick Tropeano all on hand as starting or depth options.”
I’m not arguing that the Angels are sure-things. I’m arguing that the A’s and White Sox will not be in contention by design, and that the Twins and Rays “not slowing down” appears to be an overstatement, at the very least.
You are right that prospects aren’t automatically improvements, but they have a chance to be and the A’s and Braves have prospects. The Angels don’t.
Like I said, Trout’s trade value is so high that it is literally impossible to trade him and win the trade. That might not be the case two years from now when he’s a one year rental, however.
A’s and White Sox won’t be in contention by design for maybe two more years. After that, look out. There’s no reason to believe the Twins can’t repeat this year’s performance. Everyone who contributed is still there, they have help coming from the farm and the help that has already come up can build on their performance. As for the Rays, losing Cobb will hurt and if they are serious about cutting costs that will as well. But they also have help coming from the farm.
“You are right that prospects aren’t automatically improvements, but they have a chance to be and the A’s and Braves have prospects.”
Cool, name them.
“A’s and White Sox won’t be in contention by design for maybe two more years. After that, look out.”
This is based on nothing. I’m beginning to get the feeling that you don’t know what a rebuild is.
“There’s no reason to believe the Twins can’t repeat this year’s performance. Everyone who contributed is still there”
It’s also essentially the same roster that lost 103 games the year before.
“and they have help coming from the farm”
Cool. Who?
“[The Rays] also have help coming from the farm.”
Cool. Who?
WIthout specifics, and your ability to post so much without them has to count as some kind of skill, each of these claims could end with “because I said so” and be just as worthwhile/insightful.
Athletics: Franklin Barreto, A.J. Puk, Dustin Fowler and Jorge Mateo.
Braves: Ronald Acuna, Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Luiz Gohara and Max Fried.
Twins: Nick Gordon, Stephen Gonsalves and Fernando Romero.
Rays: Brent Honeywell, Willy Adames, Jake Bauers and Jose de Leon.
Now it’s your turn. What prospects do the Angels have who are in the top 100 or close to it on MLBPipeline who are expected to make it to the Majors sometime in 2018? I already know the answer. Extending that window to 2019 doesn’t help the Angels but it does help the other 4.
It’s also the same Twins roster that missed the Wild Card by a game in 2015 with a couple prospects making it to the show between now and then. I could just as easily say the Angels will go back to being a 74-88 team next year.
The most basic definition of a rebuild would be “Prioritizing long-term improvement over short-term gain.” If done right, you don’t set a year that you HAVE to contend by or HAVE to stay bad until. You let the kids come up when they are ready, make a couple key trades and signings and the wins come with them. That’s what the Cubs and Astros did anyway.
If only your knowledge of baseball matched your knowledge of how to be patronizing.
Technically they’re right. “Other than adding a “one year $17.5MM extension” The overall guarantees didn’t decrease, money is just being shuffled around. If overall guarantees were being decreased, hell would have broken loose. (And This only applies to trades, not extensions)
extensions come with their own perks, like signing bonuses (or the ones Upton got)
Don’t pass your inaccuracies off on the article. The terms have been reported. Upton DID restructure his deal in order to assist the team to make further changes and improve the roster. In exchange, he got a fat extra year, when Pujols’ deal is done.
The overall guarantee didn’t decrease, but because he backloaded it, the net present value of the first four years of his contract DID decrease.
I will pass my inaccuracies off on the article because it was the only thing I had read regarding Upton’s extension when I said that.
Ultimately Arte is responsible his actions and those of his staff he approves trade and he closes his wallet. He makes promises and then he brakes them.
It makes little sense to say an owner whose payroll for the last five seasons has *averaged* over $160M has “clos[ed] his wallet”. His closing payroll at the end of 2016 was over $185M alone.
It may be possible the team didn’t pull the trigger on a deal you thought was essential, but over the last five years he has outspent just about every team not named Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox or Tigers. The trope that Moreno is tight or cheap has no support in reality. We can argue all day if those $$$ were well-spent (and there are many cases which say “no”, like the Hamilton debacle), but it makes no sense to state that Moreno doesn’t spend money.