Outfielder Justin Upton, now a free agent, may be on his way out of San Diego as interest in him from other teams begins to surface.
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Upton On Giants' Radar
Saturday, Dec. 5
Compared to other outfielders like Yoenis Cespedes, it has been somewhat quiet on the Upton front so far this offseason. But Saturday, USA Today's Bob Nightengale tweeted that the San Francisco Giants are still looking for a power bat like Upton or Cespedes in the middle of their lineup.
While Cespedes brings a bit more pop and flair to the lineup, Upton's numbers were a bit more pedestrian. Here's a look at the two players' numbers last season:
At 28 years old, Upton is two years younger than Cespedes, and teams could be more willing to give him a longer deal. Cespedes told ESPN Deportes back in September that he is looking for a six-year deal.
Upton, on the other hand, is coming off a six-year deal in which he made $51.5 million, according to Spotrac.com, and could be a much more affordable option for the Giants. Although, San Francisco showed on Saturday with the signing of pitcher Jeff Samardzija that it isn't afraid to spend some money.
For a team ranked 27th in the league in home runs, the Giants outfield has been one of their weak spots, with players like Nori Aoki, Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco not adding much power to the lineup. The three outfielders combined for 13 home runs all of last season.
Upton, who has solid speed, could bring the same kind of play as Pagan but with a much more powerful bat. He's hit over 25 home runs and stolen over 18 bases in five of the past seven seasons. However, he hasn't played his best at AT&T Park, according to ESPN.com's David Schoenfield, batting just .233 lifetime there with three home runs in 210 at-bats.
Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com
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