Following another above average season, his first, and likely last, in San Diego, Justin Upton will likely decline the $15.8 million qualifying offer he was extended last Friday and elect free agency. While there is no shortage of strong outfielders on the free-agent market, Justin Upton may have the strongest power potential of any of the group of Alex Gordon, Jason Heyward, Yoenis Cespedes, and himself. At this point it is fairly obvious that the Padres do not have the financial leverage or even the desire to sign Upton to a long-term deal.
With that in mind, there will be no shortage of teams interested in bringing Upton on board on a long-term contract. At only 28 years of age, Upton is still in the prime of his career and is likely going to get a contract that well exceeds five or six years and $100 million. While Upton will have some competition in the market in the form of the guys listed above, no one else can match his combination of young age and power on the free agent market. Quite a few teams will by vying for Upton’s services, but who will be the team that can land the slugger?
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