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Is it Justin Upton’s turn to sign yet?
Friday’s Say Hey, Baseball includes Justin Upton’s weird free agency, MLB’s domestic violence policy and the forgotten greatness of Nomar Garciaparra.
Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images
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It’s rare that a player with the combination of talent and youth of Justin Upton hits free agency. And yet, no one seems to care that he’s right there, available to be signed. Upton’s 2016 will be his age-28 season. From ages 21 through 27, he’s hit .275/.354/.478 for a 124 OPS+, and has gained the consistency some felt he was missing from his game over the past three years. If Upton signed a five-year deal, he’d be the same age when it ended as Alex Gordon will be for the first year of his new deal, signed days ago. So, what’s the hold up?
Well, that’s kind of the thing. No one is sure! It’s understandable that Upton had to wait until after Jason Heyward signed -- Heyward is younger and better than Upton -- but Heyward signed in mid-December. The holidays delayed things a little, as did the market deciding every major pitcher needed to sign before any hitter did, but it’s January 8. Why aren’t there even many whispers about Upton destinations?
The Orioles keep coming up as a potential landing spot, but only in the event they fail to re-sign Chris Davis. The Giants were interested in Upton, but they went with Denard Span instead. The Rangers would like him, but only on a one-year deal, which seems unlikely for a player coming off a strong season who also received a qualifying offer. Maybe we’re getting to the point where Upton is going to be a bargain for whoever does sign him, because their offer is less embarrassing than what others are making. All we do know is that this is all very strange, considering the amount of money in the game and Upton’s qualifications.
- MLB might be the league with the plan in place to get domestic violence right, writes Julie DiCaro.
- People who believe Mike Piazza's and Jeff Bagwell's power came out of nowhere (read: from PED usage) are ignoring basic scouting facts from their minor-league days.
- A reflection on Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball, the peak of baseball video games on the SNES.
- Nomar Garciaparra fell off the Hall of Fame ballot this year, but he never should have been on it at this point in the first place. Lower body injuries destroyed what was shaping up to be a Cooperstown-caliber career.
- The Giants signed Denard Span to a three-year deal, and thanks to the Nationals' fear that he would accept a qualifying offer before proving his hip was healthy, Span didn't even cost San Francisco a draft pick.
- The Yankees are not alone in the AL East with their uncertainty at first base.
- You can watch the moment Ken Griffey Jr. found out he had earned his way to Cooperstown and the all-time vote percentage record.
- We don't have to wait to find out the answer: Mike Piazza said he'll enter the Hall of Fame with a Mets' cap, not a Dodgers' one.
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