Tigers general manager Al Avila and manager Brad Ausmus flew to Phoenix last Friday for a meeting with Upton at his home, and negotiated throughout the weekend before reaching a deal Monday. He earned a trip to his third All-Star Game in 2015 during his first and only season with the San Diego Padres.
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The Tigers and outfielder Justin Upton have agreed in principal to a six-year, $132.75 million contract, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports.
251 with 26 home runs, 81 runs batted in and an OPS of.790.
It was a hard offseason to hit the market with the likes of Yoenis Cespedes, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon also available, which could have delayed his deal with the Tigers until now. Ken Rosenthal originally reported the deal to be worth approximately $125 million before correcting that and saying it will be north of that figure.
Upton, who is expected to play left field, will join a Tigers team that is looking to win now. Tyler Collins is another outfield candidate.
The deal would upgrade the Tigers lineup, with Upton, 28, batting.
Despite that concern, Tony Paul of the Detroit News speculated last night that the Tigers could be contemplating another big signing since they’d only be first-time luxury tax offenders (17.5 percent penalty on every dollar spent over $189 million) in the event they made another such move.
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Detroit finished a dismal 74-87 past year, finishing in last place in the American League Central.
