The Twins “have checked in on” Justin Upton now that the veteran outfielder has hit the open market, SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson reports. The Angels designated Upton for assignment last week and then released him after he cleared DFA waivers.
Should Minnesota or any other team sign Upton, they would only owe him a prorated minimum salary. The Angels are still responsible for the remainder of the $28M owed to Upton for the 2022 season (minus that minimum salary). As such, it isn’t surprising that Upton sailed through the waiver wire without a claim, as any club claiming Upton would’ve absorbed that entire salary.
This isn’t to say that Upton didn’t receive some looks while in DFA limbo, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that two “small-market, non-contending teams” were in touch with the Angels about potential trades. It isn’t known how far along trade talks actually got between Los Angeles and these two mystery clubs, but it was a moot point, since Upton used his full no-trade protection to reject the possibility of going to either team.
For a Twins team that had two left-handed hitters (Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff) in corner outfield positions, the right-handed hitting Upton could be a nice veteran complement. Upton has been a replacement-level player over the last three seasons, but could benefit from a part-time role as most of his struggles over the last two seasons have some against right-handed pitching.
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