Upton Shuns Diamondbacks, Returns To Cardinals

After a very lengthy negotiation process OF Justin Upton has opted to return to St. Louis. Upton, who made his MLB debut at 19, received interested from the Tigers, Brewers, and Diamondbacks before deciding on a four-year $64 million deal. Negotiations between Upton and the Diamondbacks continued for days, and reports are that Arizona had a three year $59.4 million deal on the table with a team option for a fourth. It's unclear if Upton was swayed by the guaranteed money or the legendary Cardinals charm, either way he leaves Diamondbacks fans disappointed.

Can Upton return to elite status?

Upton has been traded a number of times since being drafted by Arizona in 2005. He made his way to the Cardinals in 2012 when the Rays (who had acquired Upton from the Mariners in 2011) sent him to St. Louis in exchange for OF Carlos Gonzalez and 2011 1st round pick SP Tyler Goeddel.

Upton has shown flashes of being a truly elite player by posting 20-20 seasons in 2009 and 2011, but his past few seasons have been disappointing considering his level of talent. After starting the 2013 season with 12HR and a .298 average in the month of April, Upton stumbled and managed only 15HR for the rest of the season and ended with a .278 average after hitting well below .250 through May and June. While 27HR is a good total, it fell far below expectations after his incredible April. Upton also posted a career high in strike outs (161) and his first single digit SB total (8) since his first two years in the league.