The Arizona Diamondbacks and right fielder Justin Upton have agreed to a 6-year $51.25 million deal. This deal is the second largest in club history. The contract buys out Upton’s arbitration years and his first two eligible years of free agency. Upton said he considered going year by year in arbitration and eventual free agency before choosing security. He probably would have made more money if he went year to year.
Upton has a bright future ahead of him. At 22-years-old Upton has drawn comparisons with many Hall of Fame caliber players such as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. He broke out last season with a .300 batting average, 26 home runs, 86 RBI and 20 stolen bases. While the offensive numbers are there, his defense needs to be refined but that is only because he was placed in right field with 8 minor league games under his belt at that position. He definitely has the speed to track the ball down and it is now a matter of getting comfortable at the position. All in all, this was an excellent move by the Diamondbacks. They save money in the long run by not having to go through the arbitration process with a very talented young player. When comparing this contract to other young players who have been bought out of free agency and arbitration years the Diamondbacks did well for themselves. Miguel Cabrera, will be paid around $74MM for the same number of years of his career. Andruw Jones who had very similar number to Upton at such a young age made $57.4MM, and his extension was signed nine years ago.
Good signing by the DBacks. Upton has such a bright future and is already a rising star in the league. His deal will prove to be very favorable in the long run as his production should meet or exceed what he will be paid over the term of the deal. This signing is similar to the Rays locking up Evan Longoria a couple years back. It is good to see teams locking up their talent and saving them from hitting the open market for the highest bidder.
I agree Ryan great signing by the D-Backs. this guy is a stud and he is only gonna get better. lets pray he stays healthy cuz he is a freak and fun to watch play.
i actually think they are gettin him cheap too. i mean since im a cubs fan ill use them as an example. fukodome was signed for 12 mil a yr and sori for like 16 (or somethin like that). i would a whole lot rather pay upton 8.5 and get a player that is way better and has way more upside than either of those guys. its a steal for the d-backs. almost as good as them gettin mark grace back in ’01 haha