The Angels have designated Justin Upton for assignment, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal (via Twitter). Upton is owed $28MM this season in the last year of his deal. Anyone who claims Upton would have to take on the $28MM contract, so the likelihood here is that Upton will soon before a free agent.
The Angels appear ready to go young in the outfield. The burden to flank all-world superstar Mike Trout in the outfield will now fall to highly-touted prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh. Taylor Ward, 28, will also be in the mix for playing time there.
As for Upton, the 34-year-old has proved a streaky hitter in recent years, though his final line came in at just .211/.296/.409 over 362 plate appearances. He did, however, still slug southpaws to the tune of .225/.355/.483. As a free agent, Upton could be a low-cost option to provide some value in a short-side platoon. He’s also been working out at first base this spring, which could give an avenue to playing time somewhere. Speculatively speaking, the Red Sox, Padres, Tigers, Rangers, Dodgers, or Rockies might be interested in giving Upton a look in this capacity.
Today’s move ends what has to be considered an overall disappointing tenure in L.A. for Upton, given that he hit a modest .232/.322/.443 with 75 home runs over his 1512 PA in an Angels uniform. Injuries were undoubtedly a factor, as Upton has battled back problems in recent years and also missed the majority of the 2019 season with both knee issues and turf toe.
While Upton’s numbers as an Angel still work out as above-average (106 OPS+) offensive production, more was expected given Upton’s salary. The Halos acquired Upton from the Tigers in August 2017, and though Upton had an opt-out clause following that season, the two sides worked out a new contract extension to keep Upton in Anaheim. The new deal guaranteed Upton $106MM covering the 2018-22 seasons.
In a corresponding move, Ty Buttrey was reinstated from the restricted list and placed on the 40-man roster. The right-handed reliever has been optioned to Triple-A, per the team. Buttrey had been on the restricted list since last April when he decided to take some time away from baseball, but decided over the winter to return.
Dirt-cheap Padre soon…
Or Guardian
I think it depends on how much interest there is in him. I’m sure Cleveland would love to get him for cheap, but I doubt they go much above a few million. The local press is really selling us that Cleveland chose to evaluate youth this year. It doesn’t sound like they’re trying to contend.
He is going to get paid 28M regardless of where he signs. The team that picks him up will pay him the minimum with the Angels paying the rest.. The only way for him to make more is for some other team to pay him a higher salary than 28M.
No he can’t get more than $28m for 2022 (barring unknown incentives in his current contract).
Why would any club play him a dollar more than the league minimum if he’s already owed $28MM. he’ll be lucky that someone takes a flier on him @ the league minimum. It’s laughable to think that anyone would pay him more than that. Do people think before they post on here?
No one is going to pay the $28m, but he’s still a highly useful platoon bat. Someone *is* going to take him at the league minimum, and he won’t be “lucky” to get it.
Not happening but Boston needs a righty outfield bat. Rob R is not the answer. Sign him once he’s a free agent and give him a shirt leash. Anyone old enough to remember 1975 recalls Boston’s DH on opening day was Tony C. The team moved on quickly to a rookie named Jim Rice.
The Braves should consider taking a flier on him to fill in at DH until Acuna is ready. He might be useless but right now they are expected to DH Alex Dickerson. Upton could end up being better than Dickerson and the Braves would only need him for the first month or so. Upton has hit well for Atlanta before so it’s not out of the question he could dead cat bounce at 34 years old. It’s also a risk free pick up with the Angels paying almost all his salary.
Take it easy, TJT88.
Could be that the commenters you correctly pointed out as getting this wrong may not be as well versed in contract matters or even confusing this scenario with the way it would play out in other leagues (e.g., the NBA buyout market).
When Pablo Sandoval was dfa’d by Boston, the Giants waited for him to become a free agent and signed him to league minimum. And Boston was still on the hook for millions. I believe Sandoval made the Boston many AND the SF money. Makaio6, you say otherwise but i believe that’s incorrect.
Yes Dewey, but everyone knew how great Rice was going to be. They also used Juan Beniquez and Bernie Carbo in the outfield. It was the Tony C swan song. The young players were taking over, only YAZ and Rico were left at that point. And if Rice doesn’t get injured at the end of the season, the Fisk home run wins the World Series. What could have been. Sigh.
Thanks. I didn’t understand that. I knew the Angels paid the difference, but I thought teams could sign him at any price. Knowing that, I think the chances of h signing with Cleveland is about zero. They’ve chosen to evaluate youth this season. Not likely anywhere close to centending.
Claude Raymond Nope. Sandoval signed for the pro-rated (because it was in season) amount of the league minimum. It’s how it works. HE still had years remaining on his contract, mostly paid by the Red Sox. Again, the Giants ONLY paid the league minimum. You’re on the internet. Use it. A little thing called “research”.
Sadly injuries happen. In 75 it was Rice and in 86 it was Buckner who still played but was clearly hurt. I still marvel at Buckner who was the team’s best every day player in August and September. He needed ice and injections before and after every game.
2018-2020 the Giants paid Sandoval league minimum and the Red Sox paid the rest.
The getting the league minimum to play elsewhere plus the $28 mil from Angels is a raise.
$27.3 mil!
Dewey, don’t forget Seaver, which cost them as well. Having that extra pitcher, especially one with his pedigree, could have made a difference. For the Mets, Sid Fernandez was huge (pun intended). And Buckner gets a totally bad rap on that series. The Game 6 loss had almost nothing to do with him.
You should do some homework before you universally bash anyone who replies. The 28 million is already guaranteed to him. He’s obviously going to clear waivers and then he’s a Free Agent. Anyone can pay him the league minimum but other teams can offer to pay him more to choose to go to their team
maka, im pretty sure I said the Giants only paid the league minimum. I wasn’t being a DB, so why the attitude. Try reading better, punk
Agreed
BTW, Maka, I’m not on the internet. Trade Rumors is also an app. FYI, Giants paid Sandoval $2mill AND the braves paid him a prorated league minimum. So he made $2+ mill in 2020. That I got from Spotrac (on the internet). Google it.
The new team will pay the league minimun and the Angels should pay the difference. It’s not a raise.
Buckner basically played the vast majority of his career on one leg and still had around 2700 hits. Heckuva player.
dewey – That silly “Red Sox need a RHB” cliche fully ended with the Story acquisition.
Of the 12 non-pitchers currently on the active roster, 8 are RHB and one is a switch hitter. Only 3 are pure LHB (Dugie, Devers and JBJ).
Not only that, as Cora recently acknowledged, their divisional rivals are loaded with RHP. There’s very few LHP in the AL East.
In other words, ain’t nothing wrong with adding a LHB.
Game 6 was primarily on Johnny Mac for not bringing in Stapleton.
And would you believe not too long ago somebody here insisted every manager’s decision is always the right one.
Scary to think people can be such sheep, going through life without questioning authority at all..
Cory No, they cannot. He gets the guaranteed $28M. Nothing more.
Claude Raymond, then why did you say that I said otherwise? I never said he didn’t get paid by both teams. I said the Giants paid him the (pro-rates) league minimum. Everything else plus the remainder of the contract (minus the league minimum each year paid by the Giants) was paid by the Red Sox.
@steve
not likely. I know that was the original report, but with the rosario signing I would imagine one of them being the DH (probably ozuna) Dickerson, who is the better defende than all 3 of rosario, ozuna and Upton, would play LF until Acuna returns. plus they also have heredia who can play OF
NO! The Red Sox could have traded for Keith Hernandez midgame and they still would have lost Game 6. Buckner and Stapleton are meaningless. The Mets won the game because the Red Sox pitchers couldn’t finish the job. And that’s hardly on the manager. Go back and pay attention to what happened. The Mets came up hugely clutch, just like they had all year. They were the best team in baseball in 1986. There was no stopping them. Just ask the Astros.
The Giants scores during both his tenures. Bochy loved him
You’re correct re Pablo but can’t you be nice ?
Juan Beniquez came up as a SS but he was terrible. In 1975, they used him some at 3B. I always wonderd if they use the players where they fit best such as Cecil Cooper at 1B and Yaz in LF. The 75 world series pitted two of the most over-managers in the game.
“Anyone can pay him the league minimum but other teams can offer to pay him more to choose to go to their team”
Other teams can pay him more, but no team will. His new team paying him more than the league minimum does nothing but reduce the amount the Angels have to pay. It doesn’t increase the amount Upton actually receives.
Upton will get $28 m no matter where he goes. If the new team pays him $700K (I believe the new minimum), the Angels will pay $27.3 m. If the new team pays Upton $900K, the Angels will pay him $27.1 m. The Angels pay the difference between what the new team will pay and the $28 m Upton is owed under his existing contract. The extra money above the minimum the new team pays goes to the Angels, not to Upton. The excess isn’t added on top of Upton’s $28 m. So no new team will pay Upton above the league minimum because paying more won’t go to Upton so it won’t impact Upton’s decision on who he signs with.
If multiple teams are interested in signing Upton, Upton will get to choose among those teams based on non-financial reasons (proposed playing time, position, role, etc.).
The only way Upton gets paid more than $28 m is for the new team to pay Upton more than $28 m, in which case the Angels wouldn’t have to pay Upton anything (because they pay the difference between his new salary and the $28 m they owe him, if the new team is paying him $28 m or more, there’s no difference for the Angels to owe). This of course would never happen because even though Upton still has some limited MLB value, he’s not worth $28 m.
If a player is DFA’ed and some team believes the player is more valuable than what they’re owed, the player will be claimed on waivers and not become a FA. Upton (like Pujols last year) is not as valuable as what he’s owed, so he’ll clear waivers (his contract isn’t picked up) and become a FA.
I’m not surprised by this after the Angels designated for assignment the great Albert Pujols last year. I wonder were he could play next. The Cleveland Spiders should take a look at him their payroll is very low.
The great? Lolol
He became a clubhouse cancer when he found out Walsh would be getting the majority of starts at first.
Bart- Lol, I think you are not sure to what I’m referring to. He’s close to 700 home runs and a future a hall of famer. Should I continue saying why he is the great Albert Pujols?
Teams play to win games right now. If AJols had been willing to accept the platoon at 1st he would have finished the season in Anaheim.
Angels didn’t cut the great Albert Pujols. They cut the 45 year old version who could barely run, play defense, or hit.
There is no evidence to support a Pujols lying about his age and there is a mountain of evidence to support he is his age.
Also, Pujols got DFAd, because he refused to be platooned with Walsh. He refused to be a part time player.
Playing on a contender solves most clubhouse issues. He doesn’t prove himself and he could be done
There are Albert’s own words, repeated countless times over the years.
With lack of a birth certificate, I’ll take Albert’s word for it that he’s 2-3 years younger than his childhood friend Octavio Dotel.
And Dotel’s. And the several others who remember them playing together in the DR.
Regardless of his actual age, the statement holds true. They cut a “45 year old version” of a ball player that could barely run, play D or hit. Doesn’t matter if he was age 36, 38, 41 or whatever. He played like a washed up 45 year old.
If he lied about his age, then he lied on Federal applications, and committed multiple felonies.
So please show me data where Pujols lied about his age. And committed fraud not only to the Angels, but to the Federal government.
Just because you say it, doesn’t make it so.
He hasn’t come clean but he’s given it away in countless interviews.
The biggest thing is his well documented lifetime friendship with 48 year old Octavio Dotel. Both men, many family members, coaches, friends, have all told stories about them being 2-3 years apart in the DR.
And there are thing like Pujols saying he remembers being 12 or 13 and hitting a home run against Dotel. He said it felt like yesterday despite it being 29 years ago. He was claiming to be 38 at the time.
Either his parents lied on one piece of paper when he enrolled in high school or dozens of others, including himself and Dotel, have lied about his childhood.
I didn’t say it. Albert did. Many times.
Show me proof of his birth. You can’t.
He wanted to try to play on a winner and since he is a HOF, the team granted him his release.
Halo11, just because he wasn’t prosecuted doesn’t mean he didn’t lie. The lie (if there was one) was not pertinent to him being in the U.S. unless MLB or the Angels complained about it.
Halo11Fan, read these articles:
insider.com/albert-pujols-lying-about-his-age-2021….
theguardian.com/sport/2021/mar/16/albert-pujols-ag…
chron.com/sports/astros/article/Lying-about-age-no…
bleacherreport.com/articles/380197-the-cases-of-wa…
It is very common for Dominican players in particular to lie about their age because it is so easy for them to get away with it. Miguel Tejada did it. Wandy Rodriguez did it. Albert Pujols did it. They do it to get drafted higher. Pujols was already only a 14th round pick. Imagine how much lower he would have been drafted if people realized he was 3 or 4 years older. It’s easy to get away with in the Dominican because the records aren’t as meticulously kept up with there and it’s easy to lie and then destroy any definitive documents that legally listed your true age. The federal government is very lenient on people who do this for baseball reasons because it’s mostly a victimless crime. No one is ever going to go after them for “fraud” and they have probably destroyed the evidence that could be used to convict them anyway.
Your talking about it as if we are in a court of law and if 100% convicting evidence isn’t presented that means he didn’t do it. We aren’t in a court of law. Whether he could be convicted or not is meaningless because no one would ever charge any of them with a crime for this. Like I said, many other Dominican players have done this and none of them have ever been charged with a crime. Do you really think the United States Federal government wants to go make an example out of Albert Pujols for something like this? They already let Wandy Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada get away with it. No one really cares about it anymore. At this point, believing Albert Pujols didn’t lie about his age is similar to believing Barry Bonds never used steroids. If you want to live your life with your head in the sand, that’s really none of my business. That doesn’t change the fact that Albert Pujols, Miguel Tejada and Wandy Rodriguez all definitely lied about their age and everyone with any common sense knows it.
@Halo11Fan:
I posted 4 links to articles about Pujols lying to cover up his age but MLBTR is “awaiting moderation” on the links right now. I guess they are trying to make sure I didn’t post a link to something offensive. Anyway, those links should be available as soon as the moderators can clear them.
It is very common for Dominican players in particular to lie about their age because it is so easy for them to get away with it. Miguel Tejada did it. Wandy Rodriguez did it. Albert Pujols did it. They do it to get drafted higher. Pujols was already only a 14th round pick. Imagine how much lower he would have been drafted if people realized he was 3 or 4 years older. It’s easy to get away with in the Dominican because the records aren’t as meticulously kept up with there and it’s easy to lie and then destroy any definitive documents that legally listed your true age. The federal government is very lenient on people who do this for baseball reasons because it’s mostly a victimless crime. No one is ever going to go after them for “fraud” and they have probably destroyed the evidence that could be used to convict them anyway.
Your talking about it as if we are in a court of law and if 100% convicting evidence isn’t presented that means he didn’t do it. We aren’t in a court of law. Whether he could be convicted or not is meaningless because no one would ever charge any of them with a crime for this. Like I said, many other Dominican players have done this and none of them have ever been charged with a crime. Do you really think the United States Federal government wants to go make an example out of Albert Pujols for something like this? They already let Wandy Rodriguez and Miguel Tejada get away with it. No one really cares about it anymore. At this point, believing Albert Pujols didn’t lie about his age is similar to believing Barry Bonds never used steroids. If you want to live your life with your head in the sand, that’s really none of my business. That doesn’t change the fact that Albert Pujols, Miguel Tejada and Wandy Rodriguez all definitely lied about their age and everyone with any common sense knows it.
He still will wear halo hat in HOF.
When did the Cardinals add a halo to their hat? Are they changing the mascot from a bird to a priest?
I will check them out. I’m a big fan of evidence. I haven’t seen any.
The other two have already been confirmed. After 9-11 America got serious about Visas. They gave a lot of players passes 20 years ago, which is when they would have given Pujols a pass. But lying on every federal piece of paper you put your signature on is not a small thing.
But when I see evidence, from REAL sources, I’ll change my opinion.
Actually, Pujols got DFAed because the Angels were too stupid to play Walsh full-time in RF (and then Pujols at 1B). Even full-time ABs from Pujols would’ve given them better production than the AAA scrubs the Angels were using in the outfield last year, especially once Trout and Upton also got hurt!. (Although those latter 2 injuries are hindsight, the Fowler injury had already happened and alone should’ve pushed Walsh to the OF.)
But he wasn’t washed up. He still hit lefties well (even in Anaheim), and even without a platoon his bat is still better than a good portion of other bench players, even when discounting the backup catchers.
Ha! AJols. Now that is pretty clever. My name is Albert Pujols, but you can call me AJols for short.
Lawdie, obsessing about Pujols age
Is it about the GM? One GM? Heck Jack Clark said he was a PED user. That’s evidence?
Or the Dodgers since they’re gathering some ex Braves
Indian you mean, right Dodger Dog? We should all refuse that abominable name “Guardians.”
Or or or or ….
A met fan can hope, right? Lol
Unfortunately not sure he’ll want to come back after his last stint. No idea though
He never played for the Mets.
Inside joke, Ha-Seong and myself are low-key Mets fans today lol
I know hes owed a lot of money and they have some younger guys but odd timing considering he’s tearing it up this spring
He still has power. I am sure he will turn up for as a DH somewhere. He is a defensive liability. Angels can’t really use him at DH. I am sure some team will pick him up.
Agreed MrAngelFan. 318ABs last year and still 17 dongs. He will slide into a DH/LF role somewhere, perhaps even as close as somewhere down the I-5 southbound. He is an upgrade to us right now.
Upton does have a little pop left, with an outside shot at maybe ripping off a modest late-career, season-or-two-long surge like the briefly resurgent Andruw Jones did with the White Sox (2010) and Yankees (2011).
Just because they can’t use him as a DH doesn’t mean they can’t use him as a power bat off the bench and as a backup in case someone gets hurt..
Well DH is the only place he can “backup”. He’s terrible at first base, completely unplayable anywhere else so how does that really help? This would make him exclusively a PH.
The Angels were playing him in LF up until last year until he got hurt. That doesn’t suggest he’s unplayable out there. Not good, yes, but playable enough to fill in if an outfielder gets hurt.
Why?
I don’t understand the confusion on this thread.
The angels will pay Upton his 28mil salary
His new team will pay his new salary (likely league minimum).
So he will earn more than the 28 mil this season assuming he signs somewhere and assuming there’s no offset money language in his contract
The (Veteran minimum wage) money earned from his new team is subtracted from the $28m figure that the Angels are on the hook for. It’s not a “bonus”. His wage is $28m this year.
I don’t understand the confusion in your response.
“The angels will pay Upton his 28mil salary
His new team will pay his new salary (likely league minimum).
So he will earn more than the 28 mil this season assuming he signs somewhere and assuming there’s no offset money language in his contract”
This is 100% not how it works. Upton will be paid $28 m no matter what happens. If he retires (or at least isn’t able to find a new team), the Angels pay him $28 m. If he signs somewhere else, the Angels pay the difference between what he’s owed under his contract ($28 m) and what his new team pays. No new team will pay more than the league minimum because none of the money they pay goes to Upton (so it doesn’t factor into his decision where to go), the money the new team pays simply reduces how much the Angels owe. If the new team pays $700K, the amount the Angels must pay is reduced by $700K (they’d owe him $27.3 m).
This is also generally how breached of contract damages work. If one contracts to buy or lease another’s services, goods, land, etc. for some amount of money and then breaches that contract, they will owe (as breach of contract damages) the difference the between what they contracted to pay and what the other party was able to find as a replacement.
Say you sign a 1-year lease for an apartment for $2,500/month but after 6 months you break the lease and move out. You’re still on the hook for $2,500/month. Now, your landlord finds a new tenant to move in a month after you moved out, but only for $2,000/month. You would still owe the landlord the full $2,500 for the month the apartment was vacant and another $500/month for the 5 months remaining on your lease ($500 being the difference between what you contracted to pay and what the new tenant is paying).
Wow! Was he doing that bad? I remember when he was with the Braves and was good…
He was having a solid spring, and had a great first half last year, but hasn’t been a quality bat or even consistently healthy for them since 2018. A little surprised by the move just because he’s still a useful platoon guy (838OPS vs lefties last year, vs 652 against righties) if they wanted him for that purpose, but giving Adell and Marsh both a chance to shine is also pretty important to the team’s future.
He had one great month last year, June. Every other month his batting average started with a 1 and his defense was sharply declining.
Still figured he’d make the opening day 28.
See 2019, 2020,2021 season stats, WAR, OPS+. All point to a subpar player. Below replacement level since end of 2018.
Welcome to San Francisco
Meh. Not saying no. He is right handed but roster space is tight.
Yeah I’m sure they have a good prospect knocking the door down…. What a horrible organization to be apart of
Yeah. Brandon Marsh and Jo Adell
And Ward. They Upton experiment at 1b went horribly wrong in Tuesdays game. This move is the best for everyone. Im sure Upton would rather start somewhere else rather than ride the bench here.
Marsh and Adell looked really special in the inning when Marsh homered yesterday. This move needed to happen now.
Yeah those two world beaters right there
They looked really special playing together yesterday and they bring youthful exuberance and a winning energy to the Team. They need to play together daily and Upton was sort of blocking this.
How do you call them a horrible organization for cutting their losses and giving guys who might actually contribute for years more of a chance? I feel like doing the opposite would be the definition of horrible….
They literally are both top 15 prospects. Tell me you don’t watch baseball but want the other boys to think you like sports without saying.
Why? Because he is not good enough to take up a roster spot? Not an Angels fan but get real.
Because they released 2 high priced bums last two years pujols and Upton?
“Apart of” or “a part of”? completely different definitions.
Wow, We have too many corner outfielders but dude did good in a Braves uni.
I could see this move coming while watching yesterday’s Game with the solid play of Adell and Brandon Marsh. The chemistry with them is really strong.. Ward has also looked solid.
No doubt if his contract was half that (or less), they would have kept him, imho. The downside of these huge contracts.
What? They still pay him no matter what. This is them saying he is isn’t as good as their bench of’s at this point.
Ya, mlb contracts are guaranteed so nope
No….actually if he produced for the contract they’d keep him. They’re going to have to pay him either way. No one’s going to take him. He’s going to get the minimum. His choice where he goes…whoever’s interested.
Wow! The Angels are writing big checks to unload the dead weight. I hope they taught that skill to Billy Eppler before he left town. He’s going to need it in the near future.
Yep, gotta get rid of the Dipoto and Eppler stink.
I think this is a mistake, the Upton brothers are always great in the final year of a contract. Sad to say!!
With Justin, do you get BJ?
You would need to get one to want to sign him.
Sadly, you only get a Melvin.
It seems like every top player Angels get, they stink up the joint immediately after/get hurt.
Must be the water.
Sounds like all free agents in mlb for decades now.
He must have just bombed during the shortened ST. lol
What dumpster fire contract will they eat and drop in 2023?
Trout.
(Jk)
He was actually hitting really good in ST
Woah. Bound to get a major league deal you would think…
Possible but Upton hasn’t had a good offensive season since 2018.
Any new team would only need to pay him the league minimum. He can still hit lefties well, and there are a lot of teams who are dying for a righty platoon bat. Upton’s utility is limited, but it’s well worth his tiny cost to a new team
Roiste – you’re right, the dollars are insignificant. It really comes down to if a team has a roster spot available for him.
Wow!!!
Nice to see the Angels have the Balls to do this.
Perry seems to be going in the right direction.
Eat the cash out risk the outfield and lineup with Marsh and Adell.
The surprise is that he’s actually hit so far this spring.
He will also “become” a free agent.
This has to the be the lineup
1. Stefanic 2nd Base
2. Ohtani DH
3. Trout CF
4. Rendone 3rd Base
5. Walsh 1st Base
6. Adell LF
7. Stasis/Kurt C
8. Marsh RF
9. Fletcher SS
This lineup will be deep top to bottom.
Freudian slip on Rendon?
They had Trout hitting lead off. I think the Angels like the right/left/right/left. It may look more like this
1. Trout CF
2. Ohtani DH
3. Rendon 3B
4 Walsh 1B
5 Adell RF
6. Marsh LF
7. Stassi/Suzuki C
8. Duffy/Wade/Stefanic 2B
9. Fletcher SS
Ohtani has been leading off for the most part, so you can swap the top 2 around.
True. Personally tho I would like to see a lineup up built to help Trout with RBIs.
Stefanic is not going to make this team. He’s not on the 40 man roster and the Angels don’t have space. Buttrey is going to make the team, that’s why he was placed on the 40 man roster, someone had to go.
The Angels should never have brought in 2 utility infielder. We have far too many utility infielders.
Stefanic can get on Base. Great offense. He can be decent IMO at 2nd, but his bay will give the lineup a boost.
I think Buttrey was assigned to Salt Lake. I think he needed to be placed on the 40 man when he came off the restricted list.
I didn’t think they had to put him on the 40 man roster in order to send him to SLC. The restricted list is a little new to me.
Yet will still be looking up at Houston & Seattle
Doubt it.
Angels will win the west this year.
Hahahaha!!!
Don’t sleep on Texas. They finally decided to try again this year.
With Correa leaving Houston, Texas has the best middle infield in the division.
……..but that’s about it.
Is Stefanic named as part of the 26-28 man roster? I think he’ll be in the minors.
Only if the lineup stopped after the 5th spot. This isn’t deep at all!
He stinks and has done nothing for 3+ years
Like his brother BJ, a 5 tool star who got the cash and then under performed and faded out of the league
He was actually one of the better first overall picks in recent memory. Braun has a higher bWAR but tainted by steroids. Tulo is arguably more valuable but aided by thin Denver air. Upton mashed as recently as 2018.
Tulo wasn’t a first overall pick (he was 7th). The Rockies have never drafted higher than 3rd.
He has a career OPS of .814 and has over 300 HRs and 1000 RBI and 4 All Star appearances. That is a very good 15 year career. It is only under performance if your expectations were unrealistic.
I am seriously shocked by this.
This is the type of guy the Reds always go for. He’ll clear waivers and be able to sign anywhere for the league minimum. They don’t have a bonafide CF option outside of Senzel who gets hurt looking in the mirror. Not saying they should do it, just wouldn’t shock me at all.
Upton is a candidate for the Reds, but he is not a centerfielder. He played one inning in CF last year, which was the first time since 2016
If no one else signs him, he will have exactly 1,000 RBI’s over his MLB career.
Can he start opening day for the Mets?
wow, really ripping the bandaid off
I think the Angels finally had enough of the Pujols/Upton era last season.
Do the Angels lead major league baseball in bad contracts?
Not any more
Historically, yes
Nope, We got the best team friendly contract. Shohei $5.5M/year.
That’s kind of like saying I am a serial rapist but I do donate to charity
Sounds like a confession! Hahaha!!
@Mute Ya, I am not sure what that is like but I’ll take your word for it.
That’s a huge contract for the Angels to eat. They couldn’t find a bad contract to swap him for?
And pack a prospect.
No thanks
After hitting 2 HR’s the other day 1 being a Grand Slam.
Minasian not afraid to move on from past mistakes. Good for him. This means they feel pretty good about Marsh and Adell, which is exciting for Angel fans. I also wonder if this is partly motivated by allowing Upton to find a starting job somewhere else. Here’s another thought; Conforto? Unlikely, but who knows!?
Went to school with Zac Minasian
All I can add is that, on a personal level, we go to ST every year in Tempe and J Upp has always been a gentleman to us, and the fans. He takes time to speak with the fans, signs when asked, accommodates selfies, laughs and is genuine. Thanks J Up for your kindness.
I can see him signing with the braves…
At least his performance this spring should net him a job somewhere. A team like Baltimore could probably use him at league minimum with the hopes of flipping him at the deadline.
It’s a shame that the Chicago Cubs can’t suck it up and just DFA Jason Heyward.
The sad reality is that with as awful as Heyward has been, the Cubs still don’t have anyone forcing him out of the line up unless the Cubs want to ride Rivas in LF and Happ in center.
Fact is, the Cubs “near” ML outfielders have all been awful. Davis looked good outside of striking out nearly half his plate appearances Diechmann looks lost, Happ’s been terrible and so has Ortega.
Welcome to Miami.. Bienvenido a Miami, said Will Smith before the slap
He was having a strong spring and appeared to finally be healthy. I thought he would have a nice rebound season going into free agency. I know they have a logjam in the outfield with Trout, Adell, and Marsh. Plus Taylor Ward really needs to play. I’m not shocked he was DFA’d and I’m sure they tried to trade him offering to cover most of his salary but there must not have been any takers. I think he still has a little left in the tank and worth taking a flier, especially in the NL with the universal DH.
Perry doesn’t mess around. I continue to believe we will look back in a few years and say Perry is a top flight GM. He’s the first GM to have Artie’s confidence.
I think it’s easier to dispose of other peoples mistakes, especially when that 28 million isn’t coming from your own pocket. The true test of a GM is how he/she handles their own mistakes. Time will tell.
Jose Quitana,, Bundy
I’ve been very impressed with Minasian so far. He’s really turned this team around in a short amount of time, and his focus on improving the pitching has been refreshing – I’m sure especially for Angels fans. He quietly turned a very poor bullpen into a very solid one in the span of about a year, brought in a potential TOR SP finally in Syndergaard, and drafted a couple very high upside arms last year. All things that this club really needed. I’m rooting for him to continue to succeed, as watching Ohtani and Trout on a winning team would be great for the game.
lol!
Tigers might be a good fit. Just lost Greene for two months.
It’s obvious that no one is going to claim him off waivers unless a team is willing to pay $3M-$5M of the $28M owed to him by the Angels. If that is the case, he will be claimed and traded to that team by Anaheim for cash considerations. The Angels would welcome the chance to recoup a few million on his contract.
My guess is that he clears waivers and then he has the choice of which team he’d like to play for. While I’d love to see him end up in Boston, I see him either staying on the west coast (SF, SD, LAD) or going to a warm weather team that has a chance to make the playoffs (TB, Mia, etc). I don’t see him ending up in Cleveland even if Cleveland promises him a starting role in their OF. It will be interesting to see where he lands.
What role would you see him filling in Boston? Possible platoon partner with JBJ in RF, at least to start the season? I wonder who the worse defensive OFer is now between him and Martinez. Wouldn’t ideally want either of them starting too many games in RF. His splits vs lefties do make him intriguing though, as JBJ and Verdugo both struggle against LHP.
Jup Arizona Diamondbacks San Diego padres maybe even Los Angeles Dodgers
He will stay in So Cal
Would be the best defensive OF in Philadelphia.
Trying not to win a world series
What the hell are the angels doing ?!?!?
Making room for the kids to play.
Getting better.
Probably in the minority, but I don’t like this. Upton obviously isn’t worth the money, but you’re paying him that money no matter what.
Upton and Trout are buddies. From everything I’ve seen and heard, he was great in the clubhouse.
I hope this doesn’t throw a wrench in chemistry
I’m with you Cook. Happy he’s not blocking anyone, but concerned this will come back to bite the Angels.
And you’re right Cook, J-Up and Trout are super close. That was the first thing I thought of when I read this. A huge assumption here is that they let Trout know ahead of time. I hope that’s the case.
Eh just for the giggles.. Dodgers anyone?
Upton was leading the Angels in HRs and RBIs this spring. 3 HR, 11 RBI, .333 / .474 / .933
It’s spring. Not the same as 162 game season.
I wish it was, the Angels have the best record this spring… we are the best team in baseball… lol
They have 10 trade him still
I think a lot of teams would be interested in him. Unfortunately, he has a no trade clause in his contract.
I don’t see anyone trading for him. Certainly not “a lot” of teams. He’s a league average hitting (maybe) DH.
He would have came with the Angels covering his salary. Hit lefties solid last year. If healthy potentially could see a little rebound.
As soon as he clears waivers, Upton has Mets written all over him.
Justin Updone.
THANK YOU GOD!!!
All kidding aside, I’ve been saying for years that Upton is a mediocre hitter and lazy on defense and running the bases. He’s been below mediocre with the Angels. Not to mention his injury record with us. My respect for Minasian just went up. He is the right GM for us.
I know, Halo11, Minasian isn’t perfect, but he’s doing the right moves this off season.
Upton’s been terrible with the Angels.
With the 6 utility infielders on the 40 roster, there wasn’t a lot of room. This was caused because of horrible lineup construction. Do we really need Wade AND Duffy?
Ward, Adell and Marsh have all been impressive this Spring. But the Angels need another outfielder a lot more than they need a utility infielder. I just hope this doesn’t bite them in the butt.
Taylor Ward looks like he could be a very good 4th outfielder/utility player. He may have not even reached his potential yet offensively either, look at his minor league stats. He’s underrated. Tyler Wade is also a solid defensive OFer and has looked decent this spring.
I’m not worried about the talent of those four, I’m worried about health. I feel a lot better with Ward being the 5th outfielder than the clowns who played the last year.
I think this is a good move. I like upton but he’s not a situational hitter (strikes out with guys on third and less than two outs, grounds into double plays, etc). Still waiting for a SS. Fletcher is not the answer.
Gutsy move. Hopefully the Cubs follow suit with Heyward.
I figured he’d make the opening day 28 man roster but be on the chopping block when rosters went back down to 26.
He’s always been a streaky hitter. The hot streaks have gotten fewer abs further between.
That said, he showed up to camp trim, ready to roll, and willing to take whatever role management has for him. I respect that.
I was worried Upton was going to take away ABs from Adell.
With Trout and Adell frequently hurt, I’m shocked the Angels did this. Expecting the Angels outfield to be heathy all year is a foolish mistake, that said, Ward looks ready.
But considering how bad the Angels outfield was last year, I’m concerned this move will hurt.
what free agents are ever going to sign with the angels? pujols, simmons, iglesias and now upton!
If a player is afraid, he’s going to get DFA’d, I don’t want him signing with the Angels.
Iglesias (the good one) did.
Dodgers
Obviously their intention all along, he’s got a 1.400 OPS this spring.
They ran out of space on the 40 man roster. Ward looks very good. Adell and Marsh look very good. This is more about that trio than Upton.
angels have so many multi-infield-positional n0-good hitters by the bucket. why carry them all?
win_one_soon. I’m right there with you.
I think they are throwing mud at the wall to see if any of it will stick. They know they have a hole at SS and I think they brought in all of these guys to compete for the spot this spring, in the hope that at least one of them would step up and claim the job. Just how it seems to me.
as i wrote on the last article the dud we got from the yanks was billed as a defense only ss. play him there and keep fletch at 2b.
that’s my old mlb tag.
Now if the Cubs would cut Heyward….
I’m fine with dumping him but why not for a bucket of balls and eat $25 million. Use the $3 million later at the deadline. Tax space .
Because no one is doing that trade with the Angels.
Now that they DFA him. Someone needing a fourth OFer/DH would pay him 3 million. SD or Det.
Or less…What’s the veteran minimum?
But why would anyone have at him that when they can get him for the league minimum? Do you really expect a bidding war? Who pays 3 million for meh bat left fielder to be their 4th OFr?
He has a no trade clause.
Now that makes since . The other replies did not read my post, trade before DFA. If he has a no trade clause , hands are tied.
The burden to flank all-world superstar Mike Trout in the outfield lies with Mike Trout himself. He needs to get past his nagging injuries. He stays on the DL longer each season as time goes by. If he can stay healthy, then let’s see what the younger players will do.
Too bad for Upton, I guess he just ran out of gas.
For what he’s getting paid forever regardless, Trout needs to play the hell thru pulls snd strains like players have for 150 years.
Maybe show him an inspirational film about Mantle, Buckner or Koufax
$21002046 – You have no idea what you’re talking about. A grade II calf strain can take anywhere from 8 weeks to up to 6 months to completely heal, depending on the location and severity of the tear. The only calf injury worse that a grade II tear is complete rupture.
Oh, and here are all the details of his “pulls and strains”. Please feel free to point out all of these that he should have played through.
Mike Trout IL recent history:
2021 – 139 days, Grade II calf strain
2020 – 0 days
2019 – 0 days
2018 – 15 days Wrist injury from HBP
2017 – 47 days Torn Ligament in thumb from slide
2016 – 0 days
2015 – 0 days
Yet in 2019 he missed a month’s worth of games
Yeah, because he had surgery on his foot at the end of a season where the Angels were 20 games under 500. I guess he should have played through that too????
Last year’s injury to Trout was a big deal, I’m not downplaying that.
As you pointed out, the high-level view of Trout’s injuries looks troubling, but if you examine why he missed time, it doesn’t look nearly as troubling.
The foot tumor is not coming back, he now protects him thumb and that injury is likely not coming back. His best friend and brother-in-law can only commit suicide once.
Last year’s injury is/was a big deal, but the others, not so much.
So the Angels just blow off $28 million? Are you telling me you couldn’t get Something/Anything for him?
All you Angels fans will pay a portion of your ticket prices this year to bail out this bad decision.
Someone in Angels management needs one of those “Come to Jesus” meetings I think
It’s hilarious that you think a DFA of a $28mm player somehow effects ticket prices for this year. It’s $28mm with Upton and $28mm without him, ticket prices are not fluctuating $0.01 on this move.
They probably tried to get something/anything and no one was interested even if they paid $25m of the contract. He will sign elsewhere of vets minimum $$. It’s fine… moving on to Adell and Marsh in the OF corners the next 5-10years.
I think there are teams that would give something. The big problem is getting past his no trade clause.
Love that the Angels are going with Adell, Marsh, Ward and Rojas. Those kids have nothing left to prove at AAA. I’ll bet the trade Upton and send cash and Barria (who’s out of options) then announce an extension for Ohtani
What are the luxury tax implications of a team trading for him and agreeing to pay a small amount of the money owed?
For example, Upton to SD with SD agreeing to pay $3M of his contract.
The Angels are going to have to eat all of that $28M otherwise if he’s released so I could see them trying to recoup at least something. Does the acquiring team have to wear that entire $28M for luxury tax purposes or does he only count as what they are paying him?
most likely, he will be cleared into a free agency and signed for minimum. angels will pay everything but the minimum.
Per MLB, the Angels designated Upton for assignment. They owe him 28M and he will continue to be paid by the Angels with the rest of the team each cycle. Upton will pass through waivers if the Angels don’t trade him within seven days and if a team claims him, they sign Upton for minimum salary, with the angels on the hook for the remaining 27.6 Million. Upton can be claimed by any team and if he passes through waivers, he can be sent to the minors or elect free agency. His 28M salary in 2022 is guaranteed by the Angels and if two teams want to sign Upton for league minimum, Upton has the choice to select which team he will play for per the new CBA agreement in 2022. There are 29 teams in the majors that will see the AL have first dibs on Upton for league minimum and if all the teams pass, the NL team can then claim him for league minimum.
That’s technically not how it works because once he clears waivers he’ll be released and granted free agency, so he can go wherever he wants at that point and there’s no priority on signing him. That priority only comes into play on waiver claims, but no one is going to claim him because they’d get stuck with the $28M owed on his deal. Ultimately that means unless he’s acquired via trade he’ll be a FA and can choose whatever team he wants to sign for.
I’m talking about the luxury tax implications of a trade, which would be separate than him clearing waivers because he wouldn’t be signing as a free agent. The Angels are on the hook for the $28M, but another team could agree to pay a small portion of that to guarantee that they’re the team that gets him.
Very sagacious post, CN. The trouble in this case was a full NTC held by J-Up. There is no trade to be made here; there are obtrusive and insurmountable obstacles in the way. He will clear Waivers and be a FA and be able to sign with any interested party (for the aforementioned Vet minimum). The Halos will be on the hook for approximately $27.3-ish in the long run.
Time to unload that other injury-prone big contract in Trout.
That extension was a terrible deal from day one. The trade to get him though, not bad. I thought Grayson Long had a nice chance of becoming a back end starter, drafted by the Angels. At a time when the Angels had not developed pitchers in a few years, I believe Long soon was hurt and retired after the following year.
Upton will have his choice of a lot of teams willing to take him for league minimum.
The question is what does he value more? Winning or playing time, because he may not get both.
Upton could be a great OF platoon option for the Padres at major league minimum after he is released by the Angels.
It could allow the Padres to keep top prospects Hassell, Abrams, Campusano, Paddock and others as their present and future core.
Friar Faithful Reunion?
So assuming he clears waivers the Angels will pay the $28M minus the salary paid by the new team, presumably $0.7M.
In that case maybe some team would be willing to offer a trade now, where the Angels throw in prospects in exchange for offloading a chunk of Upton’s salary.
We need more outfielders!
First of all, who was dumb enough to give him a contract paying him $28 million this season, regardless of when it was signed???
Secondly, he’s so washed, why would a team even burn a roster spot on him? I don’t think he’s even a viable option as a PH.
There are many other Upton’s making far too many millions occupying valuable roster spaces who should be cut, the top of that list is Miguel Cabrera.
Can halos still trade him?
They could but no one is going to give up anything for him and take on his salary when he can be had for league minimum shortly
It is now clear that Maddon is trying to impose old-school, Scioscia-style baseball on this organization. And Minasian is cooperating.
A set rotation, a closer, deep bullpen, defense, baserunning, platoon matchups, positional versatility, and just enough pop to keep the offense humming.
The pieces aren’t all there yet, but one can see where this is headed.
Could see him on Giants as a righty platoon in left
It all depends how this was communicated. I’m hoping the timing of this was for Justin to get grabbed by a contender. He’ll get picked up.
Padres and Mets are discussing a deal to send young starter Paddock east along with Eric Hosmer for OF Dominic Smith
Mets fans be like, “can he pitch?”
Why DFA him? You have to pay him either way, and isn’t he still a decent bench player at the very least?
Why DFA?” Not enough room on the 26 man roster or 40 man roster.
I guess it’s more important to have 7 utility infielders on the 40 man roster. Wade, Duffy, Mayfield, Rojas, Davis, Rengifo and Velazquez.
Last year Perry’s bullpen moves were baffling, this year his accumulation of utility infielders is equally baffling.
Heck, on more than half the teams, Fletcher would be a utility infielder.
They start the season with 28 roster spots, and Upton is still better than any of their other backup outfielders (aside from when Walsh plays there).
I think Upton has some value but I think Ward can be very good and play all 3 OF positions and can catch if needed. The utility players can play the OF. This gives them another utility roster spot or pitcher.
I think there are a lot of reasons the decided to DFA.
1. He has been injured the past 3 years and has put up below average numbers. He had a good spring but the past years of data to go on.
2. The emergence of Tyler Ward. At this stage, Tyler Ward is a better option at this point. Wade can play OF as well.
3. They like the energy of the young guns, Marsh and Adell. They are nothing if not exciting. They get the team and the crowd amped, whether its making a great defensive play, legging out a single, or running for a triple. When was the last time you were excited about Upton? Also, Adell and Marsh are good friends. They didn’t want to split them up. Having one start on the Angels and one starting for the Bees didn;t seem right.. The like the flexibility of Ward, Wade, Adell, and Marsh, which Upton did not offer.
4. There is no place to put him. Is there anywhere on the field that you can put put him and say Upton makes us better?. Upton is best suited to be a DH, but Ohtani is going to be the DH. His defense has been progressively worse each year and it’s not going to get better. this year. They tried him at first, but apparently they didn’t like what they saw there either. The only time I saw him at first in spring training, he committed a huge blunder by pulling his foot off the bag way too early.
He will catch on with some team that he can potentially help out. He just wasn’t doing that for this team.
He will be a dodger.
This is probably a move Bloom should make. Upton at league minimum to at least platoon with JBJ. Worst case scenario you release him if he’s bad. Best case he’s able to at least hit LH pitching and put up decent numbers. There is literally nothing to lose
You would have to be comfortable with Verdugo switching back and forth from LF to RF every time they face a lefty.
the red sox have dalbec at first base, they arent gonna sign an aging 34 yr old whos ALWAYS hurt to play with a young new exciting player thats already here. They are not ‘ in the mix’ , atleast not as a first baseman.
I wasn’t suggesting he play 1B.
Amanda, it would probably pay to do a little research. Upton has never played a single inning at 1st.
The move you had to make Perry. Going to be fun watching this team.
I’m totally bummed about this. Upton is finally healthy, he’s in a walk year and I think he’s gonna tear it up. Choosing Marsh over Upton when Marsh has an option left!? No way. I like Marsh and think he’ll be good at some point but he’s not even close to Upton at the plate. Marsh better have a breakout year at the plate or this goes down as one of the dumbest decisions of all time. Dang. Someone’s gonna get Upton at league minimum and be so stoked!
I’m absolutely going to be comparing Marsh’s and Upton’s stats at the end of the season. We still have to pay Upton. Dumb dumb dumb.
It makes no sense to me at all. Right now, Marsh is a strikeout machine. 91 Ks in 236 ABs is 231 in 600 ABs. He has some talent, but this is like Adell when they first promoted him. IMHO, they are simply burning service time.
Marsh struck out alot last year, but shouldn’t you use PAs, not ABs? Also, in year two, couldn’t you expect to see some improvement? It’s also worth noting that Upton struck out 107 times in 362 PAs (318 ABs) last year.
Yes. Of course, you use PA when calculating SO%. JoeBrady has proven time and time again he is not savvy with stats.
We all know of course that Spring Training stats don’t mean anything, the only thing we can really tell from spring stats is who is healthy and who is not. Upton’s spring performance is nice, but doesn’t mean the last few years of poor production should be ignored.
The Angels have to pay him regardless, but they don’t have to play him. Thinking they should keep him because he’s making a lot of money would be handicapping the team with a sunk cost. They obviously feel there are players that fit the team better than he does, so eating the money is the right move. The best move would have been to not give him such a contract, but that ship has sailed. Keeping a poor option because you’ve already put money into it is the very definition of a sunk cost, and it’s not a good use of resources.
And yet another huge contract that never panned out for the Angels. GMJ, Wells, Hamilton, Pujols, Mo Vaughn. Has ANY organization in baseball ever gotten so little for so much money from free agents?
Wells wasn’t a free agent. Vaughn led to Appier and without Appiers first 5 month of 2002, the Angels don’t win the wild card or the World Series.
And of course Upton was a trade. So if those are your best examples, I’d say yes. Two MVPs. A Cy Young Winner. A player who might make the hall of fame as an Angel. A player who has made the Hall of Fame as an Angel.
We could have done a lot worse.