Agent: Justin Upton won't talk contract extension during season
The agent for newly-acquired San Diego Padres outfielder Justin Upton says any contract extension that the team plans for Upton would have to be done before spring training starts.
Upton was traded from the Atlanta Braves to San Diego for four minor league prospects last week. He is owed $14.5 million in the final season of a six-year contract worth $51.5 million.
"One thing we won’t get into is a lot of players get into the season and have contract negotiations going back and forth. We won’t do that. Matter of fact, we probably won’t even get into spring training doing that," Upton’s agent Larry Reynolds said on MLB Radio Network.
"So we probably won’t want to get into any discussions once spring training starts. If anything were to happen, we would want to do that before he packs up to go to spring training," Reynolds added.
Upton batted .270 with 29 home runs and 102 RBIs in 154 games last season for the Braves. The 27-year-old is a career .274 hitter with 164 home runs and 535 RBIs in seven major league seasons with the Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks, who selected him first overall in the 2005 draft.
The Padres also upgraded their outfield by acquiring All-Star outfielder Matt Kemp in a five-player deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and outfielder Wil Myers from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team swap.
- Scooby Axson
