Braves reach deal with outfielder B.J. Upton
Free-agent outfielder B.J. Upton has agreed to a multiyear deal with the Braves.
Upton has spent his entire eight-year career with the Tampa Bay Rays. He batted .246 with 28 home runs, 78 RBIs and 31 stolen bases last season. He’s averaged .255, 20 homers, 75 RBIs and 39 steals per season.
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77 comments Add your comment
Kathleen Evans
November 28th, 2012
6:02 pm
He seems very weak to me and disappointing that we sign a player like this to a multi year deal. I loved Michael Bourne. Wren this sucks! Where is the BIG one?
Tarmac Jerry
November 28th, 2012
6:02 pm
Huge mistake …. nothing more I can really add other than that. By year 2 the Braves will be looking to unload him. They would’ve been better off giving Bourne whatever he was asking for compared to this.
Chipper Jones
November 28th, 2012
6:03 pm
This lazy a** will make more than I did last season.
I knew I should have tested free agency and gotten the big bucks.
Frank Wren just over spent again !
Supreme Grand Poobah
November 28th, 2012
6:03 pm
Anyone think we can get Otis Nixon or Marquis Grissom to come out of retirement?
Jordan Schafer
November 28th, 2012
6:04 pm
Where do I fit in all this ?
Bobby's Cox
November 28th, 2012
6:04 pm
BARF!
Another overpaid strikeout machine. Will pair well with Uggla for the next forever years.
At least he’s right handed.
Slippy R
November 28th, 2012
6:04 pm
HATERS IN THE CLUB SPEAK UP!!!
BJ Upton is only overrated because people thought he was Willy Mays. Y’all are gona feel salty when Upton makes Jason Heyward an MVP candidate by getting on base in front of him. AND ALSO, do people not realize that Uggla was one of our best hitters last year because he was on base ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THE TIME? You can live with the strikeouts when a guy gets on base like that. And he runs the bases like a boss. I was at the playoff game, so I know Braves fans care, but I’m so sick of year-after-year people thinking Wren doesn’t get it. Wren just styled all over Philly.
Kevlar
November 28th, 2012
6:04 pm
.298 OBP. 14th worst in the Majors. Are you kidding me? 169 strikeouts last year? That’s 6th in the entire Major League! That’s more than Dan Uggla! Is this a joke? Welcome back Jeff Franceour, just at $15,000,000 per year for 5 years.
the truth
November 28th, 2012
6:05 pm
guy is always hurt. may as well sign sizemore too
single white dove
November 28th, 2012
6:05 pm
Another we can fix it Braves theme. So if he does bad, we could not fix “his” problems…
Supreme Grand Poobah
November 28th, 2012
6:07 pm
Could we actually acquire someone who can hit over .300?
doodoo
November 28th, 2012
6:07 pm
A BJ is always a good thing.
Jaded
November 28th, 2012
6:08 pm
I like this move. The Braves were going to have to overpay for someone if they wanted to get a quality CF. Upton is a better long-term gamble than Bourn would have been because Upton’s primary offensive skill isn’t his speed. I’m not too concerned about his batting average, but I do hope he draws a few more walks here than he did in Tampa.
Prado
Simmons
Heyward
Freeman
Upton
McCann
Francisco
Uggla
I’ll go to battle tomorrow with that lineup and our pitching staff.
Joel
November 28th, 2012
6:08 pm
you guys act like the braves could have found someone better for the same price, all the best CF are locked up except hamiliton and bourn, who are asking for 100mil+, so lets be real here, with the braves resources, this is a good signing.
Supreme Grand Poobah
November 28th, 2012
6:08 pm
doodoo – not for $15 million.
GRAPHITE
November 28th, 2012
6:09 pm
The Creeks are laughing too.The curse will be easy to maintain.No one shall prosper on these grounds…
Uggla Redux
November 28th, 2012
6:10 pm
Just because you have money to spend this year, doesn’t mean you HAVE to buy something! So the Braves are on the hook for lots of payroll for the next five years for a mediocre player. Geez, it’s DLowe all over again except it’s gonna cost the Braves more!
So the Braves just hope that Uggla and Upton don’t pull an Uggla at the same time? If so you got 30 mil in payroll in the starting 8 that are gonna hit .230 or less and drive in less than a buck and hit less than 30 HR’s. Since when is it a good idea to overspend for under achievers?
That Dude
November 28th, 2012
6:12 pm
He is very consistent and injury free. Good value for defense, steals and power. Now let’s find a solid Left Fielder.
Ecubulldog
November 28th, 2012
6:12 pm
Not crazy about this either. Don’t be surprised if Wren is working on a trade for his brother thinking that will motivate both. Never have liked the attitude.
Humbug
November 28th, 2012
6:12 pm
I hope I’m wrong but I see this as another hit on the budget with little help gained. That has happened too often with the Braves.
Drew
November 28th, 2012
6:16 pm
I’m not a Braves fan (Go Cards!). I think this could turn out to be a major move for you. Get this kid’s head right and you move to the very front of the NL class. I know what he’s been, but he’s also not far from being .300+, 35, 100+ with speed, and he’s entering his prime.
Uggla Redux
November 28th, 2012
6:18 pm
People act like the Braves HAD TO sign Upton for 15 mil a year! Geez, grow a brain!
It was a bad year for what the Braves needed/wanted on the Free Agent market. So you have a choice; Overpay for what is out there (Wren seems to enjoy doing that) , make a trade, or JUST SAY NO! This off-season may seem a little slow and uninspiring to those fans who want action if you don’t sign a FA, but at least you don’t have to overpay for an under-achiever for the next five years!
Dr.EB
November 28th, 2012
6:19 pm
I like the signing.
Peter R.
November 28th, 2012
6:19 pm
Sweetness! Now we’ll see if he can get 30 steals with 25ish hrs and maybe a .270 ba with a .350 obp? Then we would be talking money. The Braves must be on to something. Heyward and him should make a nice duo in the middle of our lineup. I’m glad that the Braves got him instead of Bourn. I could definitely see him bouncing back nicely. I don’t think Wren would put 75 million on him if they didn’t feel that way. He’s a big time investment, but look at the other options for CF and LF. The Braves need someone who can be productive and drive in runs. Uggs could start doing that again randomly or not. I would be willing to say that Upton could bounce back. Plus, it was his walk year so maybe that played into his approach at the plate. He’s got the talent. There’s nice video on the Atlanta Braves MLB website that explains how much potential he has. If he did get 30-30 to go with Hewyard we would be in business. Maybe we should go get Victorino right now? The Braves need someone else to hit in the 1 spot asides from Prado. My favorite spot for him is 2.
So,
1 – Simmons? rh
2- Prado rh
3 – Heyward lh
4- Upton rh
5- Freeman lh
6- Ross? Swisher? We need someone else who is good.
7- Fuggly (if he can pull it together) rh
8- McCann’t lh
To all of those who are complaining about the amount of money. Think about the fortune that got spent on Jones over the past 3 years and he didn’t do much, but there was everyone cheering him on. Kind of mind blowing. A lack of dead weight on this year’s payroll should help out. Just need to get another decent hitter. Beats me who! It’s a mystery. Maybe we’ll make a trade. Could make us much scarier for the next season.
SteveOh
November 28th, 2012
6:27 pm
What’s the big deal with all the announcements? He’s an OK player. No Hall of Famer and certainly no one who will have a major impact. Yes – good to see Wren isn’t sitting still, but we need some impact. And not just for one season.
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November 29th, 2012
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