UPDATE:
IT'S OFFICIAL: The #Tigers have agreed to terms on a six-year contract with outfielder Justin Upton. pic.twitter.com/55pxzyoVTO
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) January 20, 2016
Justin Upton passed the physical and is officially a tiger
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 20, 2016
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UPDATE:
The Justin Upton press conference with #Tigers will be WEDNESDAY afternoon, after he undergoes his physical tomorrow morning.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 19, 2016
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Earlier in the offseason rumors suggested the Detroit Tigers were done spending big after making a flurry of moves. Well, general manager Al Avila saved the most significant move for last.
The Tigers and outfielder Justin Upton have agreed in principal to a six-year, $132.75 million contract, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. He gets an opt-out clause after two years, reports FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. Jon Heyman first reported the two sides were close to a deal.
"The person spoke only on the condition of anonymity since the deal won't become official until Upton passes his physical," Nightengale wrote.
"The Tigers, who informed everyone the past six weeks that they no longer had financial flexibility to acquire another premier free agent, quietly changed their mind this past week and aggressively pursued Upton, the three-time All-Star outfielder."
Upton will presumably start in left field, joining Cameron Maybin and J.D. Martinez in the Tigers' outfield. Anthony Gose and Tyler Collins will likely be used as depth options or trade bait.
Previous rumors suggested the Tigers could be in on a high-profile outfielder, most notably Upton, Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Gordon. However, their payrolls over the next few seasons are awfully close to the luxury tax threshold, which led many to believe Avila was done making mammoth moves. Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Jordan Zimmermann, Anibal Sanchez, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez are making at least $11 million per season through 2017.
Despite that concern, Tony Paul of the Detroit News speculated last night that the Tigers could be contemplating another big signing since they'd only be first-time luxury tax offenders (17.5 percent penalty on every dollar spent over $189 million) in the event they made another such move.. That may have explained their reported interest in Chris Davis, who signed with the Orioles for seven years and $161 million.
Avila opted for Upton, who is younger than both Cespedes and Davis. The 28-year-old has also been one of the most prolific power hitters in the MLB in recent seasons. He had a down year in 2015 and still hit .251/.336/.454 with 85 runs scored, 26 home runs, 81 RBI and 19 stolen bases with the lowly San Diego Padres.
Upton marks the second draft pick the Tigers will lose this offseason. They also lost one when they signed Zimmermann, which was the league's first big signing.
The addition of Upton propels the Tigers further into the World Series discussion. After finishing last in the AL Central in 2015, they'll be out for revenge next season with their new arsenal of stars.
