Now that Justin Upton has been released by the Angels, they are on the hook for Upton’s $28MM salary for this year. Any other team that signs Upton would only have to pay him a prorated portion of the new $700K league minimum, with that amount being subtracted from what the Angels are paying.
Although the 34-year-old hasn’t produced above the league average rate since 2018, that no-risk situation has led to interest from several teams, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. However, all of the interested teams are non-contenders, whose interest in Upton is merely in hoping for a quick bounceback and then flipping him to a contending team at the trade deadline.
Upton’s preference is reportedly to play for a contender, which is why he hasn’t accepted any of the overtures from other teams just yet. Although these suitors intend to trade Upton to a contender later, there’s always the chance that a trade doesn’t come together, either due to injury or poor performance, leaving him stranded. It seems he doesn’t want to take the risk of that happening, at least for now. As Nightengale notes, Upton hasn’t played in the postseason in almost a decade, with his last appearance coming in 2013.
It was recently reported that the Diamondbacks were considering a reunion with Upton, which would make for a nice story since that’s where Upton started his career and blossomed into a star. Although Nightengale doesn’t mention any teams by name, it’s possible that the D-Backs fit the mold of a non-contending team that Upton is hesitant to join. They’re coming off a miserable 52-110 season where the top two teams in the division, the Giants and Dodgers, won 107 and 106 games.
It had also been reported that the Twins had checked in on Upton last week. Like the Diamondbacks, they’re also coming off a down year, but were aggressive in reloading for 2022, perhaps making Minnesota a more likely contender than Arizona. Since their reported interest in Upton last week, their outfield need has grown, with Alex Kirilloff landing on the IL and Byron Buxton leaving Friday’s game with a knee injury, although it’s possible Buxton will avoid a trip to the IL himself.
If the Angels were not going to play Adell they should have kept Upton and sent Adell to triple A. I have no idea what this team is doing. Marsh and Adell need to be playing everyday somewhere.
Of course this team intentionally walks Seager with the bases loaded, so no one knows what this team is doing.
The Red Sox once deliberately grooved a pitch for Harmon Killebrew that led to his 44th home run. They did it to avoid Oliva coming up with men on base and possibly creating a bigger inning. That was Dick Williams. Pretty good manager.
Challenging a batter is a lot different than intentionally walking a batter with the bases loaded.
Santiago didn’t challenge him. He threw it right down the middle on purpose. And it is the same thing. It’s called minimizing damage. And they won.
I don’t believe it.
Why, how could giving up a grandslam minimize an inning? Santiago may have hoped his defense could end the inning if the pitch was kept in the ball park but the incident to my knowledge was not designed to let HK groove on.
Harmon Killebrew was an extreme streak hitter. When he was hot, it didn’t matter how and what he was pitched, he was hitting it hard.
When he was cold, he was cold.
Interesting. Upton is exactly the same.
Unfortunately the hot streaks are getting fewer and further between.
So the idea was that, with a 4-run lead, they deliberately up a 2-run HR so that Oliva couldn’t hit a 3-run HR?
They won the game.
I agree that Adell should still be in AAA from what we’ve seen so far, albeit a small sample size. But in no way should we have kept Upton, even as a hotdog vendor in the nose bleeds. He hurts the team, just like Pujols hurt the team. Nothing against either of them personally. But both were a liability.
What we should have done, and still can do, is acquire a quality RF and SS. I’m hoping the Upton money next year goes towards retaining Ohtani and Thor.
Pujols would have helped the team if he would have agreed to platoon with Walsh.
Other than the pitch that was two baseballs off the plate called strike three, he has blistered the ball lately. His average exit velocity is 98 MPH. Ohtani is second on the team at 94 MPH. His hard hit rate…61%
I tend to agree with that. I also agree, Halo11, that if they are going to give Adell a shot, give it to him and let him play every day. Scioscia did the same thing with Cron by not giving him every day play time. A lot of that had to do with Pujols, but Cron seems to be thriving as a starting 1B with the Rocks now.
Prov356: Happy Easter, my friend.
“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.”
Matthew 28:6
Happy Easter Clipper!
I imagine Justin Upton would be a improvement over Alex Dickerson. Acuna should be back in a couple of weeks though and that will right the Braves ship. Rosario will start hitting soon as well.
Cleveland fans watched months of Rosario not hitting….. dumped his salary and suddenly he’s Rod Carew…. Give him til August
Dickerson had some bad luck with balls being caught. Things against upton being a Braves
01. Upton is right handed Atlanta needs left handed batter in the line up to mix the line up
02. The rooster are going drop from 28 to 26 spots in less than 2 weeks
03. Ron Acuna is almost back which will make playing time limited for anybody else as Acuna plays outfielder / designated hitter other days
04. Rooster reduction will make other more fitting of Atlanta possible available
When did teams start carrying roosters on the roster?
Hens-forth, when they became chicken
Plenty of ABs to go around for Marsh, Adell and Ward in the corners. And if Trout plays 140 games in CF, that leaves 22 games where Marsh, Adell and Ward can all play at the same time.
There are plenty of ABs, do you trust Maddon to split those ABs until the cream rises…. I don’t.
Marsh will sit against LH. Adell will sit against most RH, even though he hasn’t gotten a hit against a LH this year.
I don’t trust Maddon at all. Fletcher should have been our starting secondbaseman, Velazquez should have been our staring shortstop. Rojas should not have been playing over Adell. As far as Perry, why so many utility infielders?
This team should be pretty good this year, the only thing in their way is the is the trinity. Perry, Artie and Joe.
Mayfield is batting cleanup. Duffy is playing first base. Wade is playing second. No one in their right mind trusts Maddon. I never thought I’d long for the days of Scioscia.
Joe doesnt make the lineups. Perry and his analytics team will utilize Marsh, Adell and Ward in positions where they are most likely to succeed – ditto for Wade, Duffy & co. Look up the road to the Dodgers as a template… or the Giants, Rays, etc. It’s how baseball is played today.
As for today’s lineup, check their splits compared to the guys that are sitting. I suspect there’s a wide variance.
Your rants are tiresome.
Joe doesn’t make the lineups? Did you really write that?. You want to rethink that?
Ok, so either Joe or Perry or both is/are idiots. Heck it took Perry a year to realize the pen is important, so who knows?
They are tiresome? Who gives a leap? They are accurate. Losing is tiresome. Stupid baseball is tiresome. Setting up players to fail is tiresome. Watching routine plays go for hits is tiresome.
In my opinion, Perry is a very sharp guy and in a year or two, he will be recognized as among the better GMs in baseball. It’s Perry’s job, and that of his analytics team, to set players up to succeed.
Could be. He’s made a very obvious mistake last year that he rectified this year. The mistake this year is the accumulation of utility infielders.
The fact he rectified last years mistake without trying the same bound-to-fail tactics he deployed last year is refreshing.
And I’m very impressed with Velazquez. When Fletcher comes back, I’m curious to see what he does with this middle infield mess. Hopefully Mayfield, Maddon’s cleanup hitter, will be let go.
The Angels also need to choose between Wade and Duffy. Neither can play defense and they don’t need both.
I don’t think you like baseball. The rest of us do.
Lineup optimization ain’t what it used to be, is it? It takes a 40 man roster to navigate a 162 game season and a 26/28 man roster to navigate a series or road trip.
Its not all about who starts the game. The Angels have optimized their lineup for offense today based on a LHP. Look for Marsh and Walsh later in the game when a RHP takes the mound and/or the Angels have a lead late.
Lineup optimization has never been so valued. It’s why Ohtani is leading off and why Trout is batting second. And players like Fletcher bats 9th.
And it’s the reason Mayfield should never bat cleanup.
Halo11-it didn’t take perry a year to figure out the pen is important. First, that’s his exact legacy in Atlanta. Second, listen to his own words when he was first hired. He has always talked about our pitching needs from day 1.
He was bound by the limits set by his owner as a first year GM. He made good moves this winter and last year’s draft to improve pitching drastically. Even you were happy with his moves for about 36 hours.
I agree that Maddon has made some funky in game decisions thus far. We need to dump Infielders for a ss and rf.
Happy Easter
What ya talking about they’re both playing almost Everyday. Marsh finally had a day off yesterday. Some people do nothing but complain on here. Ward played yesterday and had a solid game. Nice problem to have.
Are you paying attention? Rojas was platooning with Adell, now that Wardis back, Adell appears to be platooning with Marsh.
Walsh and Marsh has now sat out back to back days. How are you missing that?
If Ward is going to play everyday, Adell need to be in AAA and Upton should have never been released.
No one said Ward is going to play everyday. There’s only 3 OF positions and Trout has one of them. Adell is NOT consistent right now and neither is Marsh.
Maddon said Ward is going to play everyday.
Adell is going to get in the lineup 3-4 times a week and gets a chance to compete for an everyday spot against Marsh/Ward. He’s probably equally if not better suited getting 300+ at bats in the mlb this year than playing everyday in AAA. We have 5 outfielders who are better/younger/more promising than Upton.
This decision had a lot more to do with Rojas than anyone thinks. He’s 29 and has offensive potential and several years of team control. Without him in mix they basically have to keep Upton and choose between starting one of Marsh/Adell/Ward in AAA. Ward is getting too old and has too much promise to be a 5th OF in AAA, and the decision was made to bet on Marsh and Adell. Since Rojas is a suitable 5th OF, you now have the freedom to release Upton and give each of those guys a roster spot.
Seager was walked and they won. ♂️Upton was having a great spring, they should have kept him until the start of the season at least!
Ward is better than Adell right now. And we scored 6 unanswered after walking Seager and won. It’s never been the offense keeping us out the playoffs, it’s been the pitching. And the pitching is looking solid so far.
Oh brother. You think walking Seager was smart?
I’ve saying this for three years. Adell has a 142/32 K/W in AAA. What does the FO think that translates to in the pros? Does 100/15 sound about right? And platooning him just exacerbates the problem. He shouldn’t have been promoted two years ago, last year, or this year.
Totally agree Joe Brady. It’s doing Adell a disservice.
Taylor Ward is a much better player than Upton.
Is there some point at which he would endanger his 28 million by turning down chances to play in MLB? He wouldn’t get the money if he officially retired, after all.
No, MLB contracts are guaranteed. Long as he doesn’t sign retirement papers with the league, the money is his.
Actually I think at this point he can actually retire and they’re still on the hook for it. I think they have to retire by a certain day for them to be off the hook for it. I’d have to look up the article, I think it was Gil Meche, who retired and left money on the table. Although I don’t think it matters to much, because I doubt Upton retires during the season, with some kind of hope of playing for a contender, even if small.
July 1st
False
This article isn’t good for my growing disdain of modern baseball.
“Upton’s preference is reportedly to play for a contender, which is why he hasn’t accepted any of the overtures from other teams just yet.”
It’s obvious that Upton has not looked at his own stats recently. like in the last 5 years. He should latch on to the first team that offers him a chance to play otherwise he will force his own retirement.
Players don’t retire until they sign the papers. Can be years from now, whether he plays or not. He can turn down any offer he wants and the Angels still owe him his money. He’ll just wait until some contender has an injury or wants a lefty masher for the playoffs. Until then, paid vacation.
seamaholic – Yeah I agree. What I meant was he will sit out the season and collect the $28 mil waiting for a contender. When no team in contention calls for a below average player, he will have no choice but to hang it up or play for the Orioles, et al.
Given that choice I think most players would hang it up
If a contender has a need for a lefty masher, AND DOESNT HAVE ANY PAYROLL ROOM to actually get one. There! I fixed it for you.
Upton rocked a 127 OPS+ vs lefties last year. You aren’t gonna do much better than that if that’s what you’re looking for, and assuming you can play him at DH.
‘Lefty masher’ LOL
I mean, you could bother to look his numbers up and realize that yeah, he is.
Upton’s preference is reportedly to play for a contender
===================================================
Which is, of course, why he played for the Tigers and Angels the past 6 years.
Now that Upton got his $$$ he wants a ring.. He should go to Boston and platoon with JBJ, Arauz to AAA, Arroyo to U.
More likely he’ll go and sign in Japan or Korea for a season I would guess.
$106M for 2 WAR? Will the Angels ever learn?
Nope
Worst managed oganization in all baseball. Classic is the fans of this dud like to manage small market spending. Experts.
I am willing to bet there isnt one small market “cheap” team that spent more per win than the angels. Nothing like collecting $28M in a pile and setting fire to it.
Right now the problem is a guy who shouldn’t be in the major leagues is batting cleanup, a guy who can’t play first base is playing first base, a guy who can’t play second base is playing second base, and one of the Angels best prospect in years is on the bench.
I’ve been saying this for a few years. Maddon wants to show he’s the smartest guy in the room by doing things no one else will do, and shouldn’t do.
I agree with you Joe.
Yup. And it’s 4-1 Angels.
Here comes down voter…thinking he knows everything about everything and really is totally clueless…wait guys this isn’t over yet he will come back on here and look completely foolish
#rentfree
Um, who is living rent free?
“THE downvoter
April 15, 2022
John…see? Classic. Wait…it wont end just yet.
Note: Jimmy has more upvotes than the one Cards81 gave himself. This will not just be left unaddressed…..Themed will help level it, but then it will be “burner accounts! activate!””
Seems like a copy cat style quote from 2 days ago. Whats that say about rent free? Hmmm.
Downvoter 2
Cards81 0
Oh, and if you need ointment for the burn, let me know.
Lol what a dbag…you actually responded
The message was sent, and obviously, resides rent free in your little brain. You know it, I know it and we all can see it, fan boy. Now you run along and have a blessed day.
Dude you’re a weirdo who I never even heard of till you said something about my username on a cardinals post…glad I have fans..but seriously dude it’s a little creepy…god bless
Imagine being so bad that you make the Eric Hosmer contract look good lol
Sounds like the perfect situation for Upton. Get signed by a non-contender, get a lot of playing time and show you can still hit, get dealt to a contender. Not sure what the hold up is. Sounds like in the end he’s getting exactly what he wants.
They’re only interested because he’s inexpensive.
Brian Cashman… don’t you dare do it!
I see him in Yankee Pinstripes before long
Go get him Minnesota!
If the twins don’t push to sign Upton .. it means they are oblivious to the team the have..
Upton needs to go somewhere he can play regularly. He isn’t productive part-time or as a pinch-hitter.
I can think of a team
since you can add certain things to these deals,maybe upton should consider asking for any of the non contenders looking to sign him to trade him by july 31st or grant him his release shortly after (as in, maybe they didn’t trade him because they were sorta in it, then hit the wall in early august) giving him enough time to latch onto a contender before the roster deadline (assuming any team would want him).
That’s not legal by the CBA. They can give him a mid season opt out, but they cannot commit legally to trade him.
Bradley Zilcher ,Ramel Tap( the ball to second ya ) or Justin Downton (up long gone ) still take over the first two lol
He’ll be a dodger or a yankee before long
Truly hope the White Sox are not among them, as the rumor suggested they might be.
the amount of money the Angels have wasted on released names like Upton, Pujols, and Hamilton (yes he was released by the Rangers with the Angels footing the $22 million) could have funded the A’s payroll for about 3 years…and the A’s would still have the better record in that amount of time.
Upton is perfect for the DBACKS, they won’t win 50 games this year