During an interview with St. Louis radio station 920-AM this morning Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports relayed a rumor that free agent outfielder Justin Upton may choose to sign a one-year contract and hit the open market again next offseason.
Upton spent last season calling pitching-friendly Petco Park home and this offseason’s free agent class is particularly strong, so he may think putting up bigger raw numbers in a more hitter-friendly environment and then re-entering free agency in a weaker class could lead to much bigger offers.
It’d still be surprising if a 28-year-old three-time All-Star with an .825 career OPS and no significant health issues had so much trouble securing a sizable long-term deal right now that he’d take the risk associated with waiting another year to cash in big. Plus, he actually fared better at home than on the road in 2015 and Upton’s overall numbers were more or less in line with his career marks.
Earlier this week multiple reports had the Orioles viewing Upton as their preferred “fallback” option if they’re unable to sign Chris Davis.
