That's what I'm afraid of, but he was going to get it from somewhere and he was the best outfielder available other than Hamilton (who will also get overpaid). .298 OBP is not encouraging, to say the least.
That wouldn't be a problem if he got on base more. Strikes out A LOT. Could be another Dan Uggla. Uggghh.
I guess the upside is it's already a pretty good lineup, so you don't necessarily need him to come in and be the stud.
Fits a lot of needs for the Braves (CF, right handed power). Still just 28, so should be at/near peak performance for a majority of the five years. I think the deal is OK in a vacuum money/lengthwise. It fits in the Braves' budget fine this offseason, but I'm not sure how it will work out when Heyward, etc. get raises or McCann needs re-signing. FA prices are going to go through the roof with the new TV deals that most teams are getting. That's somewhat reflected in Upton's contract, although fortunately not as much as it could have been. Problem is, the Braves' TV deal is a pittance, has no inflation clauses/renegotiation windows, and is signed for twenty-ish years into the future IIRC. Wouldn't mind seeing the parties responsible take a baseball bat to the ol' windpipe.
At least they seem to be trying. I've said for the past 3 years that Atlanta was building a team designed to make fans think they had a chance at the wc in August and that they weren't really trying to build a champion. It seems like a hell of a lot of money for Upton, but at least I hope that philosophy is changing.
Ridiculously overpaying. Unbelievable really. OPS is well south of .8 and always has been. His defense is good but not spectacular. As a Braves fan this sickens me a little. If this is how they plan to replace Chipper's bad, might as well throw in the towel. Total waste of money.