The Tigers have agreed to a six-year, $132.75M deal with free agent LF Justin Upton, showing that Owner Mike Ilitch is "even more driven to win his first World Series ring" a year after some thought he had "lost his willingness to spend," according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSPORTS.com. The Tigers "continue outspending their market size and revenue base by a greater proportion than any other team in the sport." The Tigers are "poised to exceed" the $189M luxury-tax threshold for the first time in '16, and their payroll commitments for '17 "already exceed" $160M (FOXSPORTS.com, 1/19). In Detroit, Anthony Fenech writes Ilitch with this signing has "once again put his money where his mouth is and doubled-down on a payroll that is sure to exceed" the luxury-tax limit (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/19). YAHOO SPORTS' Jeff Passan writes the Tigers’ payroll for '16 stands at $196M, "presuming Upton makes" around $22M this season. That is "Dodgers-Yankees-Red Sox territory, and those are coastal teams with oodles of TV money and other revenue streams." The Tigers’ local-TV deal "gives them a little more" than $50M a year, "pennies compared to other franchises." Other teams in their financial situations "stress drafting and player development as the tenets to keep themselves competitive." But the Tigers organization "relies on its magnanimous owner and his refusal to stop swiping a fountain pen across mega-checks" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/19).
KEEPING HIS WORD: ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick wrote under the header, "Tigers Continue To Go For It With Addition Of Justin Upton." Amid speculation that the Tigers "might try to rebuild in the aftermath of a 74-87 record and last-place finish" in the AL Central last season, they "remain in go-for-it mode under their 86-year-old patriarch" (ESPN.com, 1/18). In Detroit, Drew Sharp writes the signing is more about Ilitch "keeping his word," which will "sufficiently pacify fans and keep the Comerica Park seats filled this summer." Upton’s arrival comes a month after Tigers GM Al Avila "told reporters the team wouldn’t make any further significant splashes in the free agency pool because the Tigers no longer possessed the financial flexibility." But, "once again, Ilitch woke up one morning with an itchy check-signing hand." He is an "immensely popular owner because he has won championships, but also because he stubbornly refuses to follow convention." He is "contradicting the current baseball trend of getting younger and cheaper" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/19). MLB.com's Richard Justice writes, "Here's to you, Mike Ilitch. We offer a tip of the hat. You made a promise. You delivered." Ilitch "gave his baseball people simple instructions this offseason: Give me a winning baseball team. Don't sweat the budget." Upton's signing "finishes a spectacularly successful offseason" for Avila, who has "strengthened the Tigers up and down the roster" (MLB.com, 1/19).
BELIEVING IN THE SYSTEM: In Detroit, Lynn Henning writes the Tigers "have transformed themselves from a potential middle-of-the-pack contender" in their division to a team that can "legitimately rank as a beauty-queen finalist." Henning: "Ilitch knows baseball. He really does get it. He has a feel for the game, principally because he played it, and moreover because he has owned a big-league club, the Tigers, for 24 years." Ilitch, "unlike some owners," including the Cowboys' Jerry Jones, "has enough smarts and humility to allow his true personnel experts to make assessments and bring to him their evaluations" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/19).
