Angels’ Upton gets $ 106 million deal
Justin Upton and the Angels have decided to stick together.
The outfielder is staying with the club that acquired him with one month left in the regular season, agreeing to a $ 106 million, five- year contract Thursday that adds one season and $ 17.5 million in guaranteed money.
Upton was owed $ 88.5 million over the next four seasons as part of a $ 132.75 million, six- year deal he signed with the Tigers. The Angels acquired him Aug. 31 for their playoff push, but Los Angeles finished 80- 82 and missed the postseason.
Upton had the right to opt out of that deal for free agency shortly after the World Series, and he likely would have been one of the most coveted offensive players on the market.
He posted a statement on his Twitter account praising Angels general manager Billy Eppler and owner Arte Moreno.
“After talking with Billy Eppler several times it was evident to me that Arte and the whole organization is as committed to winning as I am and that was the biggest factor in my decision to come back,” Upton wrote. “I’m excited to get going and appreciate all the support I’ve received from Angels fans this offseason.”
Upton had career highs of 35 homers and 109 RBIs last season while batting .273 with a .901 OPS. He is also a Gold Glove finalist in left field, giving the Angels three exceptional defensive outfielders alongside Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun. A’s pick up Lowrie option: As expected, the A’s exercised Jed Lowrie’s $ 6 million option for 2018 after the second baseman put together the best all- around season on the club. Lowrie, 33, hit an Oaklandrecord 49 doubles and hit a team- high .277 with a careerhigh 86 runs and 73 walks.
In addition, the A’s named Mark Kotsay the team’s majorleague quality- control coach. Kotsay, a former A’s outfielder, was Oakland’s bench coach in 2016- 17 but took a leave of absence in June when his 11year- old daughter, Sienna, incurred a serious eye injury. Surgery for Sano: Minnesota All- Star third baseman Miguel Sano will have surgery for a persistent leg injury that knocked him out for six weeks during the season.
Sano’s injury was initially diagnosed as a stress reaction, and he was sidelined during the team’s surprising drive to a wild- card playoff spot. The 24- year- old returned for the final regular- season series, but had not yet been cleared to play third base and wasn’t included on the postseason roster. Minnesota lost the AL wild- card game to the New York Yankees.
General manager Thad Levine said last month that the operation would require a recovery of six to eight weeks, in time for him to be ready for spring training.
Sano hit .264 with 28 home runs and 77 RBIs in 114 games. He led the Twins with an .859 OPS.
La Russa joins Boston: The Red Sox hired former A’s, White Sox and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa to serve as a vice president and special assistant on its baseball operations staff. He will work for Dave Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations, in player development and consultation with the major- and minor- league staffs.
La Russa, 73, worked in the front office of the Diamondbacks the past four seasons.
World Series ratings: The Astros’ seven- game World Series win over the Dodgers averaged 18.9 million viewers on Fox, down 19 percent from the 23.4 million average for the Cubs’ seven- game victory over Cleveland last year for their first title since 1908.
Viewership on Fox was up 37 percent from the Giants’ seven- game win over Kansas City in 2014, which averaged 13.8 million.
Houston’s 5- 1 win in Game 7 on Wednesday night averaged 29,301,000 on Fox, down 28 percent from 40,954,000 for Chicago’s 8- 7, 10- inning victory over Cleveland in Game 7 last year, the most watched baseball game since Minnesota’s 1- 0, 10- inning win over Atlanta in Game 7 in the 1991 World Series.
Briefly: Police say the home of Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig was burglarized while his team was losing the World Series. Police say officers answered a burglary alarm at the Encino ( Los Angeles) home Wednesday evening and found a smashed window with several items taken. There’s no word on the value of the items. ... The Mariners declined 2018 options on right- handed pitchers Hisashi Iwakuma and Yovani Gallardo, making both eligible for free agency, and claimed utilityman Andrew Romine off waivers from Detroit. ... Geovany Soto’s $ 3 million option was declined by the White Sox.