The Halos are shaking up their outfield.
The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to acquire Justin Upton from the Detroit Tigers, according to multiple reports. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report Thursday, citing sources, that the Halos were on the verge of acquiring the All-Star outfielder.
The Tigers will receive right-hander Grayson Long in the trade, according to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. Long, 23, is the No. 9 prospect in the Angels’ farm system, according to MLB.com.
Detroit also will acquire either a player to be named later or cash, per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, who previously followed Rosenthal’s initial report by confirming the Angels were landing Upton.
The Angels will assume the majority of Upton’s contract, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the 30-year-old’s future. Upton is owed $88.5 million over the next four years but could opt out of his current contract and test free agency, a move that reportedly would have been likely had he stayed with Detroit.
The #Angels are picking up majority of Upton's $22.5 million salary this year, and remaining $88.5 M after this season. He does have opt-out
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 31, 2017
Source: Justin Upton determined he would likely opt-out after 2017 due to #Tigers rebuild; once he told club, trade talks picked up. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 31, 2017
It’s unclear at this point whether Upton will stay with the Angels long-term after Thursday’s trade.
The Angels have about a dozen free agents coming off the books this winter, plus Josh Hamilton, so they add Justin Upton in deal with DET.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 31, 2017
For the Angels: Acquisition of Upton part of effort to win in next few years–but also to show to Mike Trout they'll do what they can to win
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 31, 2017
Justin Upton gave no assurance to the Angels that he'll forgo his opt-out clause and remain through the duration of his contract.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 31, 2017
Upton, who was in the midst of his second year with the Tigers, entered Thursday hitting .279 with 28 home runs, 94 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a .904 OPS in 125 games this season. He’s earned four All-Star selections and two Silver Slugger Awards over the course of his 11-year career.
In a related move, the Houston Astros have claimed outfielder Cameron Maybin off revocable waivers from the Angels, per Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. Rosenthal was the first to report the Astros were acquiring Maybin, whose contract will be assumed by Houston.
Astros won a claim of Maybin on revocable waivers. They will pay the rest of his $9 million salary for this year. No other players involved.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) August 31, 2017
All told, these are stunning developments that could impact the American League playoff race. The Angels entered Thursday sitting one game behind the Minnesota Twins for the second wild-card spot and two games behind the New York Yankees for the top spot.
The Astros, meanwhile, have a commanding advantage in the AL West, leading the second-place Angels by 11 games. But the ‘Stros have seen their stranglehold on the American League’s No. 1 seed drop in recent weeks. Houston now sits three games ahead of the AL Central-leading Cleveland Indians and 3 1/2 games ahead of the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox for the AL’s top seed.
Thumbnail photo via Bruce Kluckhohn/USA TODAY Sports Images
