Diamondbacks Reward Justin Upton With Second-Richest Contract

Sports News - March 4th, 2010 - Written By John Ritter

The Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a contract that makes outfielder Justin Upton the second-highest player in team history.

And according to the Associated Press, Upton signed a $51.25 million deal on Wednesday, relieving the pressure to get extend his contract, while adding more expectations to perform.

“I do kind of put that pressure on myself,” he told the AP. “I want to be great, that’s the thing. If you want to be great, then you set your goals higher.

“There’s a lot to live up to,” he said, “and I think I’m ready for that.

Upton was the top pick in the 2005 MLB Draft, just three years after his brother, B.J., was taken second by the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He spent less than two years in the minors, and ended up in his first All-Star game in 2009. He hit .300 with 26 home runs and 86 RBI, and was one of only two players younger than 23 to go .300/20/80 last season.

Upton will get most of the money last in his career, and will get a $1.25 million signing bonus to hold him over. Over the next three seasons, he will earn a total of $11.5 million before more than tripling that over his last three. In 2013, his yearly pay will be bumped to $9.75, then to $14.25 million in 2014 and $14.5 million in 2015.

The contract is second to only Randy Johnson’s $52.3 million, four-year contract in ‘99.

“We view him as a core player, one of our key pieces,” general manager Josh Byrnes said, “and as we view the next six years the kind of guy we want to build around.”

The Diamondbacks were 22 games under .500 last season and wound up dead-last in the NL West.. But Upton and third baseman Mark Reynolds were the few bright spots on offense, combining for 70 homers and 188 RBI. The other seven hitters didn't pull up the slack, though, and Arizona finished 20th in runs and RBI.

MLB Betting lines have Arizona with 35/1 odds to win the World Series, according to Bodog.

But with the maturation of Upton, and the return of Brandon Webb to the starting line-up, those odds could improve after the first month.