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3 best new homes for Justin Upton after being DFA'd by LA Angels
Justin Upton has been DFA'd by the LA Angels recently, and it has us wondering what's going to happen next. The team will have to pay the $28 million left on his contract, as he of course still had 2022 on his deal (the last year on it).
Nobody will be interested in trading for him--he has absolutely no trade value at this point. It's a similar situation that the team dealt with last year with Albert Pujols. Now with a universal DH, Upton has a wider range of teams to play for in 2022.
Upton is not a plus defender these days, but still has home run power even when he's at his worst. Hitting 17 home runs in 89 games last year, any team that needs power would be interested in signing Upton for nothing. Now that everybody has a DH, Upton will be an option for for a wider selection of potential suitors.
No. 3 best new home for Justin Upton after being DFA'd by LA Angels: San Diego Padres
Justin Upton may be looked at by his former manager in Bob Melvin who is currently the manager of the San Diego Padres. Melvin drafted Upton back in 2005 with the first overall pick (Diamondbacks), and got a lot of great performance out of him. Upton batted .272/.350/.485 (.836 OPS) for Melvin in three seasons.
That's not to mention that he hit a ludicrous .357/.526/.571 (1.098 OPS) line in the postseason with him. Melvin has aspirations of the playoffs this season, as he tends to get there very often. He inherits a squad that had an outfield that hit the third-least home runs in the game (55) and was dead-last in slugging percentage (.378). He needs outfield power. Bringing Upton back to San Diego could be worth a shot.
No. 2 best new home for Justin Upton after being DFA'd by LA Angels: Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies would be an intriguing destination for ex-LA Angels outfielder Justin Upton. Despite being in a hitter's-friendly ballpark, their outfield hit no more homers than San Diego's did last year (55). Keep in mind that it's a lot easier to hit in Coors Field than Petco Park. The Rockies could use some outfield power.
Especially now that there's a universal DH, Colorado could maybe find a spot for the veteran. Upton has plenty of experience hitting in NL West ballparks, having played in the NL West for seven years. The Rockies' outfield was sixth-worst in baseball last year with a 31% hard-hit percentage.
That could change if Upton is brought on board. They made a commitment to offense in the offseason as they brought in Kris Bryant. They could continue that push by going after Upton, who was absolutely mashing in spring training. Hitting .333/.474/.933 (1.407 OPS) this spring, he just might be on the verge of a bounce back.
With an outfield that was all the way at the very bottom of the whole league in outfield wRC+ (82), the Rockies don't necessarily have a ton to lose by bringing Upton in for free on their end.
No. 1 best new home for Justin Upton after being DFA'd by LA Angels: Cleveland Guardians
Believe it or not, there actually is a team that somehow hit MANY less home runs from outfielders last year than both the Rockies and Padres. That team was the Cleveland Guardians, who hit a cringeworthy 48 home runs from their outfielders. Also, as we all know, the Guardians are VERY against spending money, so getting an outfielder with power for nothing is something that could be VERY appealing to them.
If Cleveland's smart, they'll at least strongly consider this move. The Cleveland outfield was in the bottom three of the league in hard-hit percentage last season at 30.4%. They were also in the bottom three in slugging percentage (.381). Again, even Upton at his worst can at least hit it out the yard. They need power in particular, and Upton can at least give them a chance at upgrading in that department.
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Upton is an injury-prone player at this point. The fact that he will cost nothing for these teams, however, opens him up to being a possibility. The downside is not very great due to the cheap price tag, but the upside is high as he was playing great baseball before his injury last season and always hits for power no matter what.