Ilitch Comfortable With Payroll, Upton Comfortable With Right-Handed Lineup
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
Tigers owner Mike Ilitch was so worried about the team's offense he even thought about it at the company Christmas party. General manager and vice president of baseball operations Al Avila had made plenty of offseason moves to fix the team's pitching situation. But the offense? Ilitch still felt they needed more.
Avila explained he was trying to tweak the offense, but it wasn't enough.
"He said, 'I appreciate you trying to tweak it, but I want more than a tweak,'" Avila said on Wednesday.
That "more than a tweak" came in the form of Justin Upton, who officially signed with the team Wednesday on a six-year deal. The Tigers officially introduced Upton Wednesday at a snowy Comerica Park, after the left-fielder passed a physical that morning.
The 28-year-old batted .251 last year for the Padres, totaling 136 hits, 26 homeruns, 81 RBI, 68 walks and 159 strikeouts in 620 plate appearances. He also made the All-Star game last year, his third appearance on the roster.
Adding depth in the outfield, as well as another power bat to a lineup already stocked with plenty of power, were the two goals in going after Upton – the Tigers' No. 1 outfielder target, according to Avila.
For Upton, the existing talent level of the Tigers' roster, as well as fan support, were contributing factors in bringing his growing family to Detroit. His wife, Ashley, just had a baby, Sydnee, two weeks ago, and both joined Upton at his opening press conference.
Not to mention Ilitch himself – his commitment (which included going over Major League Baseball's luxury tax threshold to sign Upton) and passion stood out to Upton.
"I thought what sold me the most is Mr. Ilitch, he's a guy who wants to win ball games and wants to win a championship," Upton said. "I wanted to be a part of a winning ball club, and that's what they've created here."
Upton joins a primarily right-handed hitting lineup in Detroit, which includes a switch-hitting Victor Martinez.
But that's not a concern for Upton or Avila.
"If you look at our lineup, I don't think Miguel Cabrera is having trouble hitting against right-handers," Upton joked. "I don't think we'll have any problems against right-handed pitching."
Avila continued with the declaration that which hands were dominant wasn't the important part – it was how dominant those hands could be.
"Where's the left-handed hitter out there that's Justin Upton?" Avila said.
The Upton signing pushes the Tigers against the luxury tax threshold, which was initially a concern for Avila. But Ilitch was insistent on making a big splash, which inevitably concluded with a mega, nine-figure contract.
"He (Ilitch) is comfortable with it so that's what counts," Avila said.
