Six weeks ago, Jeff Todd asked MLBTR readers which of the four nine-figure contracts given to pitchers this offseason was the best. 37.6% of you said you preferred Jordan Zimmermann’s deal — the cheapest of the four.
Of course, Jeff couldn’t ask a similar question about contracts for hitters, because the only hitter to agree to a deal over $100MM to that point was Jason Heyward. The hitting market was slow in coming, but now, finally, there have been two other hitters to cross the nine-figure threshold.
Heyward’s deal was the most expensive, at $184MM, although deferrals reduce its present-day value to about $5MM less than that. The deal also contains an opt-out after 2018, and possibly another after 2019 if he stays healthy. He also receives full or limited no-trade protection throughout the contract. Heyward is, of course, highly talented and very young and athletic for a free agent, but in a poll following the announcement of the deal, most MLBTR readers thought the Cubs overpaid.
The Orioles’ Chris Davis received somewhat less than Heyward, at $161MM and with very significant deferrals. He gets a partial no-trade clause but does not receive an opt-out. Davis is over three years older than Heyward and his skill set isn’t nearly as well rounded, which could lead to reasonable questions about how he’ll age over the life of the deal. Davis’ power is, however, second to none.
Justin Upton’s $132.75MM contract with the Tigers is the most recent of the three.  Upton gets an opt-out after 2017, as well as limited no-trade protection. He’s between Heyward and Upton in age. He doesn’t have Heyward’s defensive or baserunning value, and he doesn’t have Davis’ power either, but he’s blossomed into a reliable offensive threat, and his deal is a considerably smaller commitment than Heyward’s, at least.
Davis’ deal might be the riskiest of the three, given his age and issues with strikeouts. But one could argue that there’s more upside in Davis’ deal, too, given that he does not have an opt-out. What you think about the Heyward deal likely depends to some degree on how you weight defense in your assessment of a player’s value (and in your assessment of how he’ll age). Upton’s skill set is perhaps the easiest of the three to grasp — he’s a good, consistent power hitter who gets on base and plays decent defense in an outfield corner. He hasn’t yet blossomed into the MVP-type player he looked like he might be when he was a prospect, although he’s young enough that we might not have seen the best of him yet.
billy 7
Upton
jackt
Heyward. He just wins. Coming from a Brewer fan -_-
ABK99
heyward
mikeyst13
Why? I’m a Brewer fan too, but he seems to be the worst fit. He shouldn’t play center even though he technically can and the Cubs are stacked in the corner OF. You could debate him being the best all around player of the 3, bit that doesn’t mean he was the best signing.
Wrian Washman
upton best value
DoolittleDoolate
agreed
yankees500
Agreed
cardfan2011
Probably Heyward, although in general, Im not a fan of $100mm contracts for ANY ballplayer.
eddiekam5
Heyward
Niekro
Davis is paid to do one thing, I see problems with how Heyward, Upton will age they do not have the bat or possibly even the ability to play 1B when they start age. Matt Kemp is only 31 and already entering that limbo.
Brixton
To be fair, Kemp was historically bad in the outfield for most of his career.
Kemp’s major decline started when he was 28.
Upton might not age great in the outfield, but there is always the DH in Detriot.
Niekro
Those are fair points but I would not assume DH is not going to be Miggy full time in the near future hes faced nagging injuries and his bat is just too important, as soon as Vmart is done I think that spot belongs to Miggy, and rightfully so I want to see him extend his career like Ortiz as a pure hitter.
Diablo 2
Extend career like Ortiz? Ortiz has, for the most part of his career, been a DH first and 1st base second type player though. The better example would have been to use Vmart.
Karmada
That’s a very solid viewpoint. Davis only has to mash to justify his deal. These other two (heyward, especially) have to play well in the field, too.
A'sfaninUK
Why do you compare Upton with Kemp? Seems out of nowhere, they are totally different types of players.
randygibbs
None of the above
pox911
Davis. Easiest position on the body so he will age better, and Os would be okay with him DHing in a few years if necessary. His power won’t decline quickly, and they know what they’re getting in terms of average
thebare
That’s why all games in 2016 in Intrasquad games should use a DH then in 2017 everyone plays with a DH and have 26 players per team
Brixton
1. Heyward
2. Upton
3. Davis
I didn’t even like the idea of Davis getting more than 5/100m. Hes paid to hit home runs. You could have signed Pedro for 1/7M to hit you 30 of those if you really wanted.
bsteady powers
Thank you! These folks going with Davis, HAVE to be O’s fans
A'sfaninUK
He’s paid to hit home runs, have a high OBP, play solid defense, be beloved in the clubhouse and be a local star baseball player. Davis is 5x the player Alvarez is, how can you say something like that??
Davis had 370 total bases in 2013 and 322 in 2015 – please give the man more credit than to be on par with Pedro Alvarez.
Brixton
.330 career OBP
-3.7 dWAR since 2012
If you want to spend money on a “local star,” you could have extended Machado, which would have been a much better investment.
Cam
Extensions aren’t automatically accepted.
Maybe they have offered one already? Who knows. Assumptions are bad.
jc11986
Comparing Davis to Alvarez is just a bad comparison. His obp is actually around 340 since 2012 which is pretty good when including his 2014 numbers. I guess I just don’t understand the whole war thing and I don’t like it because if they have him as a negative defender at first base for the last 4 years then it’s wrong and it’s a bad stat. Right field and 3b yes he’s not a good fielder but he’s a gold glove candidate at first.
camosteve
It’s not even close…really…when was the last time Alvarez led the MLB in dingers? Cus Davis has done it twice in the last 3 years. High obp, great defense at first, versatile, great clubhouse guy, fan favorite. There is something to be said about being a good guy, that can be worth more than average hitting like J-up and Heyward. Mine goes
1. Davis
2. Heyward
3. J-up
You’re getting a whole lot more with Davis than any of those others especially considering he’s been with the O’s for years already and has chemistry with the stars of Machado and especially Jones. Sure, call me bias all you want because I’m an O’s fan, but as a fan of the team I’ve paid more attention to Davis’s career here than casual fans who just see an occasional hr, look at numbers from the bad year and put aside the outstanding numbers from other years, don’t see the defense or clubhouse interactions, and form their opinions that way. Davis is worth every cent of that contract, there is risk with any major contract, but I believe the least amount of risk goes to Davis.
wishesgrantd
I’m biased, being a Tigers fan, but I think Upton. He’s still fairly young, and has been a very consistent hitter. He has a great combination of power and on base ability and his defense is unanimously shown to be a positive instead of a negative. It should be interested watching him play in the large Comerica Park, but he still showed power in Petco last season.
yankees500
I thought the Davis contract was awful. You can’t expect him to keep hitting the way he did in 2 seasons out of 8. And he isn’t even that great of a fielder.
cmancoley
Hayward is waaaaaayyy overrated. I mean he is a star player but not a superstar
restinpeacebraves
Why don’t you learn how to spell his name before you run your mouth. I assume you think Gold Glove defense is overrated too.
DoolittleDoolate
Well, let’s be honest here. Gold glove awards mean nothing.
mikeyst13
To be fair auto-correct changes Heyward to Hayward, but let’s just focus on a possible spelling error.
pd14athletics
The Heyward deal is great for the Cubs. He is a great fielder and base runner. He is at worst a solid hitter who is young enough to have not yet reached his ceiling. He could end up being as good of a hitter as he is defender and base runner! Ultimately he is very likely to opt out and the Cubs will end up paying a high but very justified AAV for a couple seasons and make a strong push for that elusive World Series. That draft pick they lose now they get back in a couple years. And as an added bonus it’s a punch to the jaw of a division rival. Sure there is risk with any big deal but compared to the other 2? This is easy.
pullhitter445
Heywards bat isn’t going to improve most likely. He was once a prospect who they thought would hit 30 home runs a year. His baseball iq above average defense and base running are his good qualities. Upton while still in his prime like Heyward, is slightly worse defensively. Seems like more of a first half player than one who produced in the second half. Chris Davis is great if he gets to take the aderall. I think if Heyward doesn’t opt out that and the Davis deal have some risk towards the end of those deals. Which typically can be said to most baseball deals these days. Off topic I think the ben zobrist contract will really be bad as soon as next year.
Diablo 2
That’s the problem with casual fans, all they want is offense. Casual fans value the […] out of offense but for some reason ignore defense. Heyward does everything great and defense is amazing. 2nd best defender in the game behind Simmons. That should say how much of a superstar Heyward is.
Diablo 2
Everything good/great* there isn’t one aspect in his game where you can say he sucks.
donniebaseball
But that was in right field… It remains to be seen how he plays out in CF with soler and schwarber at the corners… This is coming from a Cubs fan too
restinpeacebraves
Why is Davis even in this discussion? He’s going to be hurt and declining from the second he takes the field in 2016. He’s awful.
pox911
Why are you even in this discussion?
restinpeacebraves
Because I’ve registered an account with MLB Trade Rumors and have the ability to post messages, which contain my opinions and insights, which are far superior to yours.
dorfmac
Davis has been quite durable over his career. Can’t argue w declining because it’s hard to top his production from last season.
The reason he’s in this discussion is that he was the best hitter on the open market – might not be the most complete or best player, but definitely the best hitter.
bmoregmr
Davis has never had injury problems and i hope he hits 60 home runs just so you can eat crow. Your whole post just wasted seconds of everyone’s life who read it
restinpeacebraves
“dorfmac”, Upton is a better hitter by far. Davis had the most power, and that’s it. That’s all he has. He’s completely one-dimensional.
And “bmoregmr”, MLB Trade Rumors archives everything, so be sure to check this post every year to see how right I was.
sergelang
“He’s between Heyward and Upton in age.”
This is an error. He is between Heyward and Davis in age.
jimmyz
From a team perspective I take Upton’s deal because its the lowest risk. From a player perspective I take Davis’ deal because who wouldn’t want to be paid 1.4 million dollars fifteen years after you’ve retired.
gregn213
“Best” from the viewpoint of the player, the team, the fans, or an objective observer?
shane
As someone who follows the AL East more than any other division I’m still shocked at the Davis contract. I would have to say Heyward wins for me. But I may be biased based on how exciting I think that Cubs team will be.
lioneyz
Upton best value in my opinion and by “best value” I mean lowest risk lol Even his opting out won’t hurt the Tigers especially if they hammer out the JD extension they’re currently working on. Upton’s choosing to opt out would indicate that his tenure was successful. Secondly, it would free up $ to get another SP even though the Tigers already operate without financial limitations. Gotta LOVE Mr. I and his desire to win!
donniebaseball
I gotta say upton. There’s significantly less risk in his deal, he’d only be 34 when the deal is done if he doesn’t opt out, and there is room for upside given that he’s only 28 and that he is moving to a more hitter friendly park(in comparison to petco)
dorfmac
I would take the Davis contract, considering he will be paid $17 mil annually. During the duration of the deal, his contract will not preclude his team from potentially making other deals or signings. Paying someone upwards of $20 mil can squeeze a lot of payroll.
mikeyst13
I don’t get the love for Heyward, not necessarily as a player, but as a fit. Yes he’s a gold golver in RF, but he’s an average CF if they move him there. I think the cubs would have been better off re-signing Fowler and going with a Schwarber/Fowler/Soler OF.
Cam
A Schwarber/Fowler/Soler defensive outfield would scare the living daylights out of Cubs fans. That would be akin to a train wreck.
mikeyst13
How is it that much worse than a Schwarber/Heyward/Soler OF when Heyward hasn’t proven he can play CF?
mikeyst13
They would still have Coughlin and Zobrist to sub in or be defensive replacements.
aff10
I agree that there are some defensive questions about Heyward moving to center, but his bat should play much better in center than in right, so that should offset some of the loss in defensive value
Out of place Met fan
Can I vote the Cespedes deal for not getting the $100M….
houseoflords44
If we’re strictly talking hitting, Heyward is the worst of the three. He’s the best defensive player of the three, but Upton & Davis are both better offensively. I’ve had Heyward on my fantasy team & frustrates the heck out of me offensively. I’ll be interested to see how he transitions to center field & whether or not Wrigley Field helps his offensive game
beauvandertulip
Best sign in general was the cespedes signing. Best 100 for the player, Davis easily. Shouldn’t have got anything close to that. For a team, Heyward. He’s got a skill set everyone needs and will probably lead the Cubs into another October run.
uncontested 2
I still don’t forgive Heyward for 2011, was a fantasy keeper of mine, thought I had struck gold and he tanked. Took a flyer on him in 2013 after he rebounded in 2012 a bit only to be let down again.
KoRKDoLLaRs
Why no Cepedes? You mets H8Rs
mikeyst13
Because 3 years $75 mil is not a $100+ million contract.
bobbleheadguru
Perhaps the Mets should have given him a 4/$100MM deal, so you could be happy and so MLB TR would not be Mets H8Rs?
Philliesfan4life
the jordan zimmermann contract is a steal for the tigers
bobbleheadguru
The Upton deal is a the best investment because of the incremental difference between a below replacement level LF (their plan 10 days ago) to probably a 4.5+ WAR player. Of the three teams, the Tigers improved the most by getting Upton. Probably 5.5 wins or so.
Plus his contract is really only a 2 year deal with an players insurance policy. Perhaps only a 30% chance that he does NOT opt out.
If Heyward is playing center, his value goes down. He will be LESS valuable as a CF than a corner guy.