Gaslamp Ball wonders if Padres fans would rather have Justin Upton than Chase Headley:
So if Headley is under Padres control for 2 more years and Upton is under Diamondback control for 3 and you could have either one, which would you prefer? Assume for the sake of this question that the Padres wouldn’t be able to sign or extend either player after those years.
Ken Rosenthal thinks Upton has the better track record, but over the last four seasons their WARs are comparable. Headley’s numbers get knocked down a bit by PETCO, and I think he would be a monster in Arizona. This one is a very tough call. If the Padres had the chance of locking either player in for a longer term, I’d take the one willing to sign the contract.
I agree with the writer about taking the extra year & subsequent shuffles of positions. The bonus is that Upton is staying in the same division (familiarity w/ ballparks) & is RH that hits more to left & center which would play at Petco without sacrificing his HR potential.