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Justin Upton “increasingly likely” to opt-out in offseason, according to Jon Morosi

The slugging outfielder is leaning towards declining his 4 year, $88.5 million option.

MLB: Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Well, there is some news on Justin Upton’s opt-out decision and for those that wanted him to stick around, it’s not so great.

Upton had one of the best seasons of his career, putting up a 5-or better WAR by both Fangraphs’ and Baseball-Reference’s calculations. He finished the season with a .901 OPS, slashing .273/.361/.540 with a 137 wRC+ (37% > average). He had the most home runs of his career with 35, and met or exceeded the century mark in both RBI (109) and runs (100).

Upton reportedly was interested in coming to Anaheim back when he was a free agent in the 2015-16 offseason, but the two sides could not reach an agreement. He also has “enjoyed playing” for the Angels during his past month here. Could the Angels have a head-start on signing Upton due to the trade?

Upton must make his opt-out decision within the three days following the World Series finale.