Angels, Upton agree to 5-year contract
The free-agent frenzy began early, and the Los Angeles Angels were the first to make a splash.
The Angels on Thursday agreed to terms on a five-year contract with outfielder Justin Upton. He was a candidate to opt out of his deal, but the Angels offered an extra year and a full no-trade clause, tying him to the club until after the 2022 season.
Upton will receive $106 million over the course of the deal, with the extra year adding $18 million in salary, according to MLB.com's Maria Guardado.
The Angels moved the annual payouts around a bit, too. Upton was scheduled to make just north of $22 million in 2018, but the new deal backloads the finances further:
Justin Upton’s annual payout: $16m in 2018, $18m 2019, $21m 2020, $23m 2021, $28m 2022
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 2, 2017
The 30-year-old signed a six-year, $132.75-million contract with the Detroit Tigers prior to the 2016 season. He didn't last long in the Motor City, as the Tigers traded him at the end of August for a pair of minor leaguers.
Upton had a resurgent 2017 after struggling through much of his first season with the Tigers. Between Detroit and Anaheim, the slugger hit .273/.361/.540 with 35 home runs, 109 RBIs, 44 doubles, and 100 runs scored. He also stole 14 bases, four of which came in his September audition with the Angels.
He should provide the Angels with some lineup protection for superstar outfielder Mike Trout. Over his 11-year career, Upton has hit at least 25 home runs seven times while crossing the 30-homer plateau on three occasions, including each of the last two seasons.