San Diego Padres Rumors: Justin Upton Should Be Top Offseason Priority

Hopes were high for the San Diego Padres heading into this year after a very active winter, but things have not gone according to plan with a 54-61 record entering Thursday. Outfielder Justin Upton has had a productive season though, leading the team in home runs (20), RBI (63, tied with Matt Kemp), runs scored (60) and stolen bases (18, on 20 attempts), and he will be a free agent after the season.

Padres’ general manager A.J. Preller surprisingly did not make any notable moves at the trade deadline, even though multiple players got some level of reported interest from other teams. Keeping the core that was built for this year together going into 2016 looks like Preller’s plan, and he recently told Barry Bloom of MLB.com that an effort will be made to re-sign Upton this offseason.

Upton will still only turn 28 later this month, with presumably plenty of productive years left in his career. Bringing him back should be atop the list of offseason priorities for San Diego, since Upton can be a lineup centerpiece going forward and help drive a move into playoff contention next year.

Petco Park notoriously stifles offensive numbers, but Upton has a slash-line of .301/.370/.581 (.951 OPS) with 15 home runs and 37 RBI over 209 plate appearances at home this year. Over the course of his career, with a fairly significant sample size due to his years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Upton has a .296/.365/.561 slash-line (.926 OPS) over 401 plate appearances at Petco Park . So while elite power numbers aren’t going to happen playing basically half his games in such a pitcher-friendly park, Upton can clearly still produce well in the middle of the Padres’ lineup.

Exactly what kind of contract Upton will command next winter is up for debate, but I think his value could be down a bit and the Padres wouldn’t have to break the bank to bring him back. I’d probably draw the line at a four or five-year deal worth $14 or $15 million per season, which is in line with what Upton has made over the last two seasons. That type of deal would keep Upton around through the rest of his hypothetical prime, but it would also not diminish his trade value if the Padres decide to change direction and undergo some sort of a rebuild.

Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.